Lionsgate is heading back to Panem with The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, directed by franchise veteran Francis Lawrence. Set four decades after The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and roughly twenty-four years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, the prequel centers on the 50th Hunger Games—better known across the districts as the Second Quarter Quell.

At the heart of the story is sixteen-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, originally portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the flagship films. In the upcoming adaptation, audiences witness how the future mentor survived an arena twice as crowded as usual, alongside an ensemble that blends rising performers, prestige television regulars, and surprise franchise returns.

The District 12 Tributes and Allies

Leading the cast is Australian actor Joseph Zada as the young Haymitch Abernathy. Zada, whose previous credits include Invisible Boys, Total Control, and the adaptation of East of Eden opposite Florence Pugh, won the central role after an extensive search. Producer Nina Jacobson previously explained that the production sought an actor who could embody Haymitch’s spirit before decades of trauma, grief, and alcoholism altered his outlook, rather than someone attempting a direct imitation of Harrelson.

Whitney Peak, known for the Gossip Girl reboot and Hocus Pocus 2, portrays Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s girlfriend in District 12 and a member of the musical Covey clan.

Joining Haymitch in the Capitol arena is Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Handmaid’s Tale), who plays fellow District 12 tribute Maysilee Donner. Maysilee proves to be one of Haymitch’s most critical allies during the brutal competition, wielding a blowgun and poisoned darts to survive the early stages of the Quarter Quell.

The Capitol’s Architects and Personalities

The production also features seasoned dramatic actors stepping into younger versions of influential Capitol figures:

  • Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee: Plemons steps into the shoes of the future Head Gamemaker, a role originally brought to the screen by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-President Erin Westerman noted that Plemons’ past work with Hoffman adds resonance to his performance as the calculated Capitol strategist.
  • Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman: Following his Oscar-winning turn in A Real Pain and his run on Succession, Culkin takes over the flamboyant master of ceremonies persona made famous by Stanley Tucci, portraying Caesar roughly two decades before he interviews the 74th Hunger Games tributes.
  • Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket: Fanning steps in as a younger Effie, capturing the early career of the etiquette-obsessed Capitol escort.
  • Billy Porter as Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman: Porter takes on Lucky Flickerman, Caesar’s theatrical predecessor who helped establish the televised pageantry around the Games.
  • Glenn Close as Casca Highbottom: Veteran stage and screen actor Glenn Close plays the aging Academy dean credited with the original intellectual framework behind the annual death matches.

Brief Appearances from Familiar Faces

While the core narrative takes place decades before the original trilogy, original franchise stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are set to reprise their roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. According to reporting from The Hollywood Reporter, both actors appear in a flash-forward sequence, reflecting the framing moments where an older Haymitch reflects on his past while residing in Victor’s Village.