Sunrise on the Reaping is coming to cinemas in late 2026.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping might be a prequel, but that won’t stop two fan-favourites from the original films appearing.
Jennifer Lawrence will reprise her role as Katniss Everdeen while Josh Hutcherson will return as her love interest, Peeta Mellark, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The actor’s last appearance in the franchise came in Mockingjay Part 2 (2015), which concluded with Katniss and Peeta tying the knot and raising a family together.
No details about their returns have been confirmed but, given that Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the events of the first film, it’s being speculated that the pair will return in a flash-forward sequence.
The prequel, which has been adapted from Suzanne Collins's novel of the same name, follows Katniss’s mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, as he is selected as one of the four tributes from District 12 to compete in the 50th Annual Hunger Games.
A star-studded cast has been lined up for the movie, with Elle Fanning taking on the role of Effie Trinket and Ralph Fiennes playing the movie’s main antagonist, President Coriolanus Snow.
The roster also includes Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman and Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, parts memorably played by Stanley Tucci and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the original films.
Other stars joining the world of Panem include Joseph Zada, Whitney Peak and Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Meanwhile, Francis Lawrence, who has helmed every Hunger Games film to date excluding the first, will take on directing duties, while Captain Phillips screenwriter Billy Ray will pen the script.
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The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled for a cinema release in November 2026.
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Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
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