The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Trailer Drops — And Panem Has Never Looked This Dangerous
Lionsgate is back in the arena — and this time, the stakes are doubled.
The first official trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping has arrived, and it is giving everything we hoped for and then some. Based on Suzanne Collins' 2025 novel of the same name, the film is set 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games and follows the story of a young Haymitch Abernathy — Katniss Everdeen's future mentor and fellow District 12 victor — beginning on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games.
That's not just any reaping. The 50th Games mark Panem's Second Quarter Quell, which means each district must send twice the number of tributes to the Capitol — 48 children fighting to the death instead of the standard 24. The brutality of it all is already jumping off the screen.
A Cast That Has No Business Being This Good
Joseph Zada leads as young Haymitch, joined by Jesse Plemons as a young Plutarch Heavensbee, Ralph Fiennes stepping into the role of the villainous President Snow, Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle, Kieran Culkin as the eccentric Caesar Flickerman, Elle Fanning as a young Effie Trinket, and McKenna Grace as District 12 tribute Maysilee Donner.
But let's talk about the names that have our full attention: Whitney Peak plays Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch's love interest, while Kelvin Harrison Jr. takes on the role of a young Beetee Latier, victor of the 34th Hunger Games from District 3. Peak and Harrison bring a level of magnetism and depth that this franchise genuinely needs, and seeing them in the trailer already has us counting down the days. Maya Hawke also appears as Wiress, the victor of the 49th Hunger Games from District 3 a role originally brought to life by Amanda Plummer in Catching Fire. The layers of this ensemble are something special. And if that weren't enough Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are set to return as Katniss and Peeta in an epilogue scene, bringing the full-circle energy that longtime fans have been craving.
The Franchise Continues to Deliver
Director Francis Lawrence returns to helm the film from a screenplay by Billy Ray, with producers Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, and Lawrence himself back at the helm. This is a creative team that knows this world inside and out, and it shows. The Hunger Games franchise now encompasses five novels that have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and a film series that has grossed over $3.4 billion at the global box office. And the appetite — pun intended is clearly not slowing down. Collins' Sunrise on the Reaping novel sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first week alone, marking the biggest debut of any title in the Hunger Games book series.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters and IMAX on November 20, 2026. Mark it. This one is going to be an event.