Newly released set pH๏τos from The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hint at the first look at the arena for the Second Quarter Quell. The upcoming film, based on Suzanne Collins’ novel, will follow a young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) as he fights for survival in one of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest Hunger Games in Panem’s history.

Set 24 years before Katniss’ story and directed by franchise veteran Francis Lawrence, the Hunger Games prequel will star Joseph Zada as Haymitch, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove, and McKenna Grace as Maysilee Donner.

Recently, Spanish outlet La Nueva España has released new pictures from the Sunrise on the Reaping set in the Somiedo Natural Park in Asturias. The landscape is lush and green, filled with mountains and a large lake. There’s film equipment and production vehicles stationed across the terrain, along with crew members preparing the location.

While no actors are visible yet, there are various plates on the ground with numbers written on them arranged in a circle, which suggests the starting position of the 48 tributes in the games. The outlet also confirmed that production has reserved some spaces in the Oviedo Congress and Exhibitions Center, in the Calatrava building, and will also be filming in the rural zones of the municipality of Teverga.

Click Here To See The Set PH๏τos Via La Nueva España.

What This Means For Sunrise On The Reaping

Filming Will Begin Soon

With production trucks spotted in Somiedo, filming on Sunrise on the Reaping is officially gearing up, and it seems the arena from Haymitch’s Games is coming to life. The Second Quarter Quell arena was a beautiful, seemingly idyllic yet ᴅᴇᴀᴅly meadow, surrounded by woods, a snow-capped volcano, and a stream.

From the plants to the water, nearly everything in the arena was poisonous, except for rainwater and the food provided at the Cornucopia. Choosing Asturias as the filming location connects directly to that vision. Its misty valleys, dense forests, and towering peaks offer the perfect setting to capture the arena’s natural but ᴅᴇᴀᴅly beauty.

As the cast and crew prepare to begin filming, Asturias is positioned to become Panem’s next unforgettable battleground. Using real, protected landscapes instead of purely CGI backdrops adds an immersive and natural texture to the arena that audiences haven’t seen since Catching Fire.

The arena’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅly elegance will feel all the more real thanks to the authentic setting, with the mix of majestic beauty and hidden danger that defined the 50th Hunger Games baked into the landscape itself. With cameras expected to start rolling in the coming days, audiences are one step closer to seeing Haymitch’s experience in The Hunger Games on the big screen.

Our Take On Sunrise On The Reaping’s Set Pictures

This Arena Has the Potential to Be the Franchise’s Most Memorable

The Second Quarter Quell arena is more than just a backdrop in Sunrise on the Reaping; it’s a defining force in the story, and filming in the Somiedo Natural Park gives it a powerful authenticity. Haymitch has long been one of the most complex figures in the franchise, and this film will finally showcase his story.

The decision to shoot in such a raw, immersive environment could heighten the arena’s tension and horror, in turn helping the actors give an even better performance. If executed well, this area could become the setting for the most iconic and psychologically intense Hunger Games in history, both visually and narratively.

Source: La Nueva España