The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping has cast another major character. The 2026 movie is based on the 2025 young adult novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins, which is a prequel set 24 years before The Hunger Games, following the game that was won by Katniss Everdeen’s future mentor Haymitch Abernathy. The upcoming Sunrise on the Reaping will be directed by Francis Lawrence (who has helmed every installment in the franchise since 2013’s Catching Fire) from a screenplay by Billy Ray (who co-wrote the original 2012 movie).

Lionsgate has now announced that Mckenna Grace has been cast in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping as Maysilee Donner, who is the other District 12 tribute in the Fiftieth Hunger Games alongside Haymitch (We Were Liars‘ Joseph Zada). Zada’s casting was announced the day before Grace’s casting, at the same time when it was revealed that Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Whitney Peak will be playing Haymitch’s girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird. Grace was previously widely featured in various fan casts for the character.

What This Means For Sunrise On The Reaping

An Experienced Star Has Joined The Cast

Previously, the new Hunger Games movie had primarily cast up-and-coming stars with relatively short resumes. The addition of Mckenna Grace changes that considerably. Even though she is only 18 years old at the time of writing, she has already appeared in more than five dozen different film and television projects, having kicked off her career in 2012 with a role in the Disney XD series Crash & Bernstein. She would later have her breakout role in 2017 when she starred as a precocious child opposite Chris Evans, Jenny Slate, and Octavia Spencer in the Marc Webb drama Gifted.

Later Mckenna Grace movies saw her taking on even more prominent roles in a variety of well-known franchises. This includes appearing in Amityville: The Awakening, Ready Player One, Captain Marvel, Annabelle Comes Home, Scoob!, and the upcoming Scream 7, in addition to her prominent role as Egon Spengler’s granddaughter Phoebe in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and its sequel Frozen Empire. She has also had a robust television career, playing roles including Young Theo in The Haunting of Hill House, Esther Keyes in The Handmaid’s Tale, and Paige Swanson in Young Sheldon.

Our Take On Mckenna Grace Joining Sunrise On The Reaping

She Is A Real ᴀsset For The Hunger Games Prequel

It will be important for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping to bring Maysilee Donner to life with great care, because she is one of the most important characters that fuels Haymitch Abernathy’s character arc, which needs to lead organically into his dissolute adulthood (as portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the original movies) and eventual recovery. She is just as important in the overall lore of the franchise, as she possesses the mockingjay pin that becomes an important symbol later on, so having someone as experienced as Grace on board is a real boon.

Source: Lionsgate