Jennifer Lawrence dropped a huge bombshell on Hunger Games fans this week when she confirmed that she would reprise her role as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games franchise.
During an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Lawrence revealed that she would be featured in the upcoming film, Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping. The film is based on the prequel novel in the series, which revolves around the character of Haymitch Abernathy when he competed in the Quarter Quell.
Is Jennifer Lawrence In The New Hunger Games Movie?
However, Jennifer Lawrence won’t be alone. She had a full-blown cast reunion, as Woody Harrelson, who played the older Haymitch, and Josh Hutcherson, who portrayed Peeta Mellark, will also have roles in the upcoming film. The news comes after a year of speculation about her character’s return.
“It was so crazy. Because it was the same crew, it was the same camera guys, the same AD [assistant director] who I’ve worked with a million times too, because I love him. And Josh and Woody … and it was so emotional,” she said. “Josh and I didn’t walk to the bathroom without our arms around each other; it was so beautiful.”
The amount of screentime that Katniss and Peeta will get is unknown. However, it’s been speculated that they may be seen in a flash-forward scene, possibly revealing their lives together following the terrors they suffered competing in The Hunger Games, per Variety.
What Is Sunrise On The Reaping About?
Sunrise On The Reaping was published in March 2025 and was instantly announced to be heading for the big screen. The book follows a young Haymitch as he’s chosen along with three other young people from District 12 to compete in the Quarter Quell.
Of course, Haymitch goes on to win the games, but his victory comes at a staggering price, namely in lives of his friends and loved ones. The book gives fans a deep look into who Haymitch was, how to survived, and what he became after years of being kept under the thumb of President Snow.
SOTR marks the sixth film in the franchise following the original four films featuring Jennifer Lawrence, and a prequel about President Snow’s younger days and rise to power titled The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes.
What’s Next For The Hunger Games Franchise?
With the release of Sunrise On The Reaping and the admiration that the novel got by fans of the beloved book series, it’s only right to question what’s in store for the characters next. However, seeing Katniss and Peeta in the new film may be the last time we get any new info about the duo.
Author Suzanne Collins has revealed that she has plans or hopes for writing any more sequels to the original trilogy. However, after releasing two prequel books, she may be up for diving into the backstory of yet another character sometime in the future.
Many fans have begged for a prequel novel about Finnick Odair’s games, among other ideas. However, Collins’ longtime editor and publisher, David Levithan, says he has not idea what the future holds for the author’s work or if anymore of the story in Panem will be told.
“I wish she’d write 50 more books,” one person commented via X. “The way both of the Hunger Games prequels flesh out the world so much more and establish previously known characters and even completely change our perspective of them in certain scenes, without appearing redundant or “fan service”-ey at all. Suzanne Collins take a bow,” another declared.
Who Stars In Sunrise On The Reaping?
The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping will hit theaters on November 20, and fans will see some new faces along with Lawrence, Harrelson, and Hutchinson. Most notably actor Joseph Zada, who will play the 16-year-old version of Haymitch. The Australian actor can also be seen in Netflix’s East of Eden and Amazon Prime’s We Were Liars.
Whitney Peak will play Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s girlfriend. Her character is also related to Lucy Gray Baird, the female lead in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Meanwhile, Mckenna Grace will star as Maysilee Donner, one of the others from District 12 picked to play in the 50th Hunger Games.
Ralph Fiennes will star as Coriolanus Snow, taking over the role from Donald Sutherland and Tom Blyth. Elle Fanning will play a young Effie Trinket, previously portrayed by Elizabeth Banks, and Glenn Close has been cast as Drusilla Sickle, a new character to the franchise.
Stranger Things star Maya Hawke will play a young Wiress, while Jesse lemons will portray Plutarch Heavensbee, a role previously held by Philip Seymour Hoffman. In addition, Stanley Tucci’s fan favorite role of Caesar Flickerman has been taken over by Kieran Culkin.
The rest of the cast is perfectly rounded out with great talent, familiar faces, and characters that are sure to have fans leaving the theater feeling all of the emotions. So, mark your calendars because Sunrise On The Reaping is going to be something you won’t want to miss.
Amanda Lynne focuses on human interest news, entertainment topics, and trending news. She has nearly 20 years of experience writing online news for several outlets.
