Director Francis Lawrence shares new details about the upcoming Hunger Games movie, Sunrise on the Reaping, at CinemaCon. After the four successful installments chronicling Katniss Everdeen’s story and the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes prequel movie, another Hunger Games prequel is set to arrive next November. This one, once again based on a novel by Suzanne Collins, takes place during the 50th Hunger Games and follows a young Haymitch Abernathy as he competes. Though Woody Harrelson played an older Haymitch in the previous Hunger Games movies, the Sunrise on the Reaping cast will include a younger actor in the part.

Recently, at Cinema Con 2025, where ScreenRant was in attendance, the studio provided new details about Sunrise on the Reaping, including information about the Haymitch casting. Though it’s not clear who has been cast in the lead role, Lawrence confirms that casting is now well underway and that filming will begin this summer. Read Lawrence’s comments below:

We’re deep into casting and I leave on Sunday to go prep. We start shooting this July.

After The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes took a new storytelling approach, Lawrence teases that Sunrise on the Reaping will be a return to the franchise’s roots:

“As much as I love Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, this film is more of a return to form.”

What This Means For Sunrise On The Reaping

When Could Promotional Materials Release?

With filming set to start in July, it makes sense that the casting process is ongoing and potentially nearing its conclusion, at least for key roles. It’s likely that reports and official cast announcements will arrive over the next few months. After Harrelson played Haymitch across the four Katniss-focused Hunger Games movies, this will be the character audiences most anticipate casting for, and, whoever is chosen, it could end up being a divisive decision. Franchise producer Nina Jacobson recently addressed the young Haymitch casting in an interview with Variety, revealing what they’re looking for in a star:

[…] What we’re looking for in that role is, you don’t want somebody who’s impersonating Woody, but you want somebody who very credibly feels like they could be a young version of this character, before the trauma and grief and rage that the fallout of the Games create.

Nobody can be Woody Harrelson but Woody Harrelson. But you have to find that mischief that he has in him inherently and try to understand, if you turn back time from the man you meet at the beginning of “The Hunger Games,” who he was before all of that, and why he became that.

A trailer for Sunrise on the Reaping won’t be arriving until next year given the film’s November release date, but Lawrence and the movie’s cast members could provide first looks at characters, locations, and sets on social media starting in July. Social media plays a crucial role in the pre-trailer hype for a movie these days, especially when stars have large followings on social media.

Our Take On The Sunrise On The Reaping Update

The New Prequel Could Surpᴀss The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

Sunrise on the Reaping is still a long ways away, but the mᴀssive success of Collins’ novel suggests there is a great deal of anticipation surrounding the film already, even at this very early stage. Decisions, especially those regarding casting, are sure to be heavily scrutinized. This means there is likely a lot of pressure on Lawrence, but there is sure to be pressure on the younger actor who ends up being cast as Haymitch, too.

After Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes reviews were somewhat lukewarm from critics, the next movie marking a “return to form,” as Lawrence says, could be a promising sign. Despite a mixed reception, though, the prequel was a box office success, and it seems likely that audiences will show up for this new installment regardless of what reviews end up being like. For now, though, those looking for more of the franchise on the big screen have a while to wait as The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping approaches production.

Source: Lionsgate