Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are returning to the Hunger Games universe for a new entry, Sunrise on the Reaping. The pair, iconic from Lionsgate’s original film series, will reportedly appear in this upcoming prequel, which Lionsgate plans to release in theaters on November 20, 2026.
Lawrence is slated to reprise Katniss Everdeen, and Hutcherson will again portray Peeta Mellark. It’s expected that their characters will feature in a flash-forward sequence, though specific plot details remain under wraps.
Francis Lawrence is directing the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s best-selling novel. The screenplay is written by Billy Ray. Producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson return with Color Force, while Cameron MacConomy serves as an executive producer.
The confirmed cast for Sunrise on the Reaping already includes Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, and Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket. Additional core cast members include Joseph Zada, Glenn Close, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, and Whitney Peak.
Set in Panem on the morning of the 50th Hunger Games reaping—four decades before Katniss’s original story—the novel’s events precede The Hunger Games by 24 years. The franchise’s first five films have accumulated over $3.3 billion globally, beginning with 2012’s The Hunger Games. The latest prequel follows The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, released in 2023.
This news arrives after Lawrence and Hutcherson’s last Hunger Games appearances in 2015’s Mockingjay – Part 2, which concluded with their characters’ futures hinted at as a family. Lawrence recently earned a Golden Globes nod for Die My Love, while Hutcherson has appeared in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.
Lionsgate has not provided an official comment on Sunrise on the Reaping.
Note: This rewrite restates the announced plans and known details about the project while preserving all key information from the source material and expanding with clarifications for readers new to the franchise.
