The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is the highly anticipated movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ 2025 prequel novel to the iconic Hunger Games trilogy, and the lead actor has expressed excitement and apprehension as the beginning of production draws closer. The Hunger Games was arguably the biggest property in the world in the early 2010s, fizzling out by 2015. We Were Liars’ Joseph Zada is playing 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy in the prequel; Haymitch acts as a mentor to Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games movies, in which he is played by Woody Harrelson.

While Sunrise on the Reaping‘s cast continues to grow, Joseph Zada reportedly said that he is a “big fan” of the Hunger Games series and the work being done to adapt this installment, but is also “ridiculously nervous” about his part (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline). Check out his comments below, from press coverage of We Were Liars:

I’ve seen scripts. I can’t say anything, […] I’ve read the book twice already. […] I’m a very, very, very big fan of everything to do with it and the whole cast and everyone involved. I’m so ridiculously nervous.

What This Means For Joseph Zada Playing Haymitch & The Sunrise On The Reaping Movie

Zada Is Ready To Put In The Work & Believes In The Rest Of The Production

It’s good to know that Zada (and likely other actors) has done his homework in reading and rereading the new book, gleaning everything he can about Haymitch’s character at this age. Based on his enthusiasm, Zada is likely also familiar with the rest of the Hunger Games franchise. While he shouldn’t be entirely informed by Woody Harrelson’s performance, as this is a version of Haymitch that hasn’t come to be yet, Zada can still learn something about his character from how he reacts and who he becomes due to the events of Sunrise on the Reaping.

Zada certainly has a lot of material to study and pull from to deliver a layered performance of his own. Additionally, he is confident in the rest of the cast and production. Sunrise on the Reaping has recruited some incredible talent, many of whom are also recast as younger versions of old Hunger Games characters. With the cast so far including Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, and Kieran Culkin, it is no surprise that Zada is confident about this project, if nervous about playing his part well — which is also good, as overestimating himself could lead to lackluster results.

Our Take On Joseph Zada’s Comments About The Next Hunger Games Movie

We Can’t Wait To See Everyone’s Hard Work Pay Off!

I’ve only been getting more excited about this movie as the team makes additional perfect casting choices. It can be expected that the actors playing the teenage leads won’t be as well-known, and it is a lot of pressure to be the cornerstone of such a movie. Zada’s dramatic experience so far should help him, and he is set to have some great on-screen interactions with co-leads Mckenna Grace and Whitney Peak. I’m pleased to know that he is taking his Sunrise on the Reaping role seriously, but I hope he finds some confidence through the cast believing in him as well.

Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline