‘Sunrise on the Reaping’: Everything to Know

The countdown to Sunrise on the Reaping is here.

The sixth installment in the Hunger Games movie franchise will take viewers to Panem for the 50th annual games, in which Haymitch Abernathy (originally played by Woody Harrelson) — Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence)’s future mentor in the original films — must compete.

In April 2025, Lionsgate announced that Joseph Zada will play Haymitch, while Whitney Peak will portray his girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird.

Before Suzanne Collins even finished writing Sunrise on the Reaping, Lionsgate announced its film adaptation.

“Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative north star,” Adam Fogelson, chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a June 2024 press release. “We couldn’t be more fortunate than to be guided and trusted by a collaborator whose talent and imagination are so consistently brilliant.”

Sunrise on the Reaping is in bookstores now, and Hunger Games fans will only have to wait until November 2026 to watch the story unfold on the big screen.

Here’s everything to know about the highly anticipated fifth Hunger Games film, Sunrise on the Reaping.

What is Sunrise on the Reaping about? 

Sunrise on the Reaping is based on Collins’ novel of the same name. The movie will be set 24 years before 2008’s The Hunger Games and will follow a young Haymitch Abernathy as he competes in the 50th annual games, also known as the second Quarter Quell.

Twice as many tributes were drawn at the Reaping from every district — two boys and two girls — and marked the bloodiest games in Panem’s history. Haymitch hailed from District 12 and was joined in the games by “a young friend who’s like a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker and the most uppity girl in town,” per the book’s back cover blurb.

According to an exclusive book excerpt obtained by PEOPLE, the film will also explore Haymitch’s relationship with his love interest, Lenore Dove.

“With Sunrise on the Reaping, I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘The easiness with which the many are governed by the few,’ ” Collins said in a press release.

She continued, “The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day.”

Now that the full novel has been released, fans can pore over Sunrise on the Reaping long before the movie adaptation hits theaters.

Who is in the cast of Sunrise on the Reaping?

In April 2025, Lionsgate announced that Zada and Peak would take on the leading roles of Haymitch and Lenore Dove. They also confirmed that McKenna Grace will play Maysilee Donner, Haymitch’s fellow tribute and friend from District 12.

“The Hunger Games franchise has long been a launching pad for remarkable young actors, and Jo and Whitney carry that legacy forward with incredible heart, depth, and fire,” co-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Erin Westerman said in a press release.

Since then, several other major names have been cast, including Maya Hawke as Wiress, Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Glenn Close as Drusilla and Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman.

Is there a trailer for Sunrise on the Reaping? 

Yes, the first official trailer for Sunrise on the Reaping was released on Nov. 20, 2025, one year ahead of the movie’s premiere date.

The two-minute teaser opens with a first look at Close as Drusilla, Effie’s Capitol escort predecessor.

“Welcome, Panem, to the glorious reaping of District 12,” she announces as viewers get a look at the picturesque meadow where the Games unfold. “Twice the number of tributes, twice the glory. It’s time for the second Quarter Quell. Let the 50th Hunger Games begin!”

When will Sunrise on the Reaping be released? 

Sunrise on the Reaping will be released in theaters on Nov. 20, 2026.

Who is directing Sunrise on the Reaping? 

Francis Lawrence — who directed Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, Mockingjay Part 2 and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes — will return to direct Sunrise on the Reaping. Gary Ross helmed the first film, The Hunger Games, which premiered in 2012.

In December 2024, Lawrence spoke with ComicBook about the challenge of casting a young Haymitch — a similar task to casting a young President Snow (Tom Blythe) in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

“It’s a search and you have to dig down and figure out what are the elements that make Woody Harrelson so interesting, right? And some of it is humor. Some of it is intelligence. Some of it is quirk. Some of it is, there’s a darkness in him that gives him an edge,” he said.

He continued, “It’s not somebody that just looks like him, or is going to study Woody Harrelson and just act like him. When Tom Blythe played Donald Sutherland, he wasn’t doing an impersonation. We had to find somebody that was believable that you could be like, ‘Oh, okay, I see how this guy over 70 years could turn into [President Snow].’ ”

Among the film’s crew is screenwriter Billy Ray, who is returning to the franchise after penning 2012’s The Hunger Games.

Where can I watch the Hunger Games movies?

The entire Hunger Games franchise is available to stream on various platforms. Here’s how to do so in chronological order:

Watch The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes on Roku
Rent or buy The Hunger Games on HBO Max
Rent or buy The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on HBO Max
Rent or buy The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 on HBO Max
Rent or buy The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 on HBO Max