Lawrence, Hutcherson to Reprise Roles in Hunger Games Prequel

Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are set to reprise their iconic roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel film, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which is scheduled for release in theaters on November 20, 2026.

The film, directed by Francis Lawrence, adapts Suzanne Collins' novel of the same name, published earlier this year. While the story primarily unfolds 24 years before the events of the original 2008 novel and its 2012 film adaptation, Lawrence and Hutcherson's appearances are expected in a flashforward or epilogue set after the original trilogy. This framing device will likely feature the characters reflecting on the past, tying the prequel to the established narrative. The main plot centers on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell, where a young Haymitch Abernathy from District 12 is selected as a tribute. Haymitch, who later mentors Katniss and Peeta in the original series, is portrayed by newcomer Joseph Zada in this installment.

Production details indicate filming has begun, with screenwriter Billy Ray adapting Collins' work. Producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson...