A new Hunger Games prequel – a movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins' newly-announced book Sunrise on the Reaping – has been confirmed and set for a 2026 cinema release.
This new prequel film follows the events of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which was released last November. It will be set 40 years after Coriolanus Snow's origins story, and 24 years before the events of the first Hunger Games movie led by Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen.
Collins' new book starts on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
That means that the story will be led by Haymitch Abernathy, who was portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the original movie series. The character became District 12's second Hunger Games victor during those games.
Related: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes ending explained
Sunrise on the Reaping is set to be published on March 18, 2025, while the movie, produced by Lionsgate, will hit theatres on November 20, 2026.
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"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 statement (via AP).
Related: Hunger Games prequel explains a key moment from the original series
"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."
This is the fifth book in the Hunger Games franchise, and its adaptation will mark the sixth installment of the movie series.
Related: Hunger Games prequel reveals the true origin of the games
Francis Lawrence, who has directed every Hunger Games instalment since Catching Fire, is in talks to direct the new movie.
"If Suzanne has another thematic idea that she feels fits into the world of Panem – whether that's with new people [or] familiar characters [like] Finnick, Haymitch, whoever – I'd be really interested in looking at it and being a part of it," he admitted last September ahead of the release of the prequel.
"But I don't have any pull of just going, 'I would love to do Finnick's games.' He's a great character, but what's the thematic underpinnings that make it worth telling and relevant?".
Lawrence's predictions were spot on, and a Haymitch-led movie is now underway. Will Finnick be next?
Sunrise on the Reaping will arrive in cinemas on November 20, 2026.
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Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over eight years. Based in the UK, she is a former deputy movies editor at Digital Spy, and previously worked for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas. Mireia's work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema and GamesRadar+ in the UK. She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London. LinkedIn
