Later this year, it's time for a new installment of The Hunger Games, as The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping premieres in November. The film is set 24 years before the original, during the infamous Second Quarter Quell, where the number of tributes is doubled and the chances of survival are halved.
At the center of the story is 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy (played by Joseph Zada), long before he became the cynical mentor we know him as, and we'll seemingly get to follow the brutal path that shapes his personality. In the film, we'll also meet several other characters in their younger versions, notably Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Maya Hawke as Wiress and Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman. As we've previously reported, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will reprise their roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.
This is actually the series' second prequel following 2023's The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. While that film received fairly mixed reviews and was often considered a bit too slow with its focus on intrigue, Sunrise on the Reaping appears to be a return to the more arena-focused survival action the series became known for.
Lionsgate has now released a substantial trailer for the film, giving us a good look at what seems to be a darker story than its predecessor.
