To mark Haymitch Abernathy's birthday—and Reaping Day—Lionsgate has released (via SFFGazette.com) a new featurette for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, titled "Meet Haymitch."
In this latest sneak peek, we see more of Joseph Zada as Haymitch, along with his origin story (which we know culminates with him becoming the winner of the 50th Hunger Games). Highlights include new looks at Reaping Day, the Capitol interviews, and the chaos that ensues in the Games.
There's also behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew about creating and delving into the backstory of such a well-known character. Woody Harrelson played Haymitch in the original The Hunger Games movie, which filmmaker Francis Lawrence describes as "a very iconic portrayal of a character."
While author Suzanne Collins has not announced her next book set in the world of The Hunger Games, we have to believe one is coming. After all, Lionsgate is bound to want to find ways to continue bringing these movies to theaters.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will revisit the world of Panem twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honour of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break.
He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
The cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping includes Joseph Zada, Mckenna Grace, Whitney Peak, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Lili Taylor, Billy Porter, Glenn Close, and Ralph Fiennes.
Francis Lawrence, who directed 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, 2014's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, 2015's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, and 2023's The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, directs from a script by The Hunger Games scribe Billy Ray.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be released in theaters on November 20, 2026.