In The Hunger Games movies, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) was a grizzled mentor, ravaged by years of trauma and drink. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping takes audiences back 24 years to Haymitch’s youth, when he was a tribute in the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
The teaser for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping introduces Joseph Zada in the role of young Haymitch. But keen eyes will also spot some other familiar figures from the Jennifer Lawrence-fronted Hunger Games movies. Playing Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee, Jesse Plemons takes on the role originated by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Elle Fanning pops in as a younger Effie Trinket, originally portrayed by Elizabeth Banks. Ralph Fiennes steps into the role of President Snow, previously played by the late Donald Sutherland, and then Tom Blyth in the prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Not spotted in this trailer are Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman (formerly Stanley Tucci) and Maya Hawke as Wiress (previously Amanda Plummer).
Also joining the cast are Glenn Close, Mckenna Grace, Whitney Peak, Iris Apatow, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Ben Wang. Director Francis Lawrence, who’s helmed every Hunger Games movie to date, is back in charge, with Billy Ray on board as screenwriter.
Playing as a sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and a prequel to The Hunger Games (2008), The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping adapts the 2025 novel from Suzanne Collins. So, if you haven’t checked out the book yet and want to before the movie hits, your countdown begins now.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens in theaters on Nov. 20, 2026.
