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Set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s journey, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will explore the 50th Hunger Games, famously known as the Second Quarter Quell.
Sunrise On The Reaping, The Hunger Games, Woody Harrelson. (Photo Credits: X)
The first teaser trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping has been released, giving fans a sneak peek at the upcoming prequel. Set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s story, the film focuses on the morning of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. The main character is a young Haymitch Abernathy, who was played by Woody Harrelson in the original films. The teaser, shown at CinemaCon, doesn’t reveal any characters but shows the iconic logo and a look at the fiery arena. Almost a minute-long clip shows a volcano exploding and the hot lava turns into a snake, showing that the games will be dangerous.
Suzanne Collins’ prequel book, released on March 18, takes place between the events of The Hunger Games trilogy and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The upcoming film, directed by Francis Lawrence, follows the 2023 adaptation starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler. Billy Ray, who co-wrote the screenplay for the original Hunger Games movies starring Jennifer Lawrence, is returning to write the script for Sunrise on the Reaping.
Sharing the teaser on X (Formerly known as Twitter), the Hunger Games makers wrote, “Forty-eight tributes. One victor.”
While the shooting for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hasn’t started yet, director Francis Lawrence in a recent interview with Collider said, “We’ve actually just sort of started prep. We’ve sort of got a research phase of prep. After London, I’m going to go on a scout, and then we start prepping in April, and we shoot this year. I’m really, really excited for it. It’s always great to go back and to work with Nina [Jacobson] and Suzanne Collins. It’s such a great world and great stories and great, always super relevant thematics, which always ground it. But, yeah, very, very excited.”
One of the biggest discussions about the upcoming movie is the casting, especially who will play the young Haymitch Abernathy. Since Woody Harrelson can’t be digitally de-aged for the role, fans are eager to know who will bring the iconic character to life. Lawrence shared that casting is still in the early stages.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to release in theatres on November 20, 2026.