Lionsgate makes first casting announcements for the upcoming ‘Hunger Games’ prequel

Suzanne Collins’ latest instalment to The Hunger Games series, Sunrise on the Reaping, is another prequel, set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s Games and centring on her mentor, Haymitch Abernathy’s experience in the second Quarter Quell. With twice the number of tributes and a particularly deadly arena, fans have been eager to see more details for years. Now, 16 years after the release of Catching Fire, in which we first see Haymitch’s games through the eyes of Katniss and Peeta watching old Capitol footage, Suzanne Collins has completely recontextualised everything we thought we knew, and Lionsgate has just cast the first three actors bringing this story to life on our screens.

I think part of what makes these movies so excellent is the relationship between Lawrence and Collins and his respect and care in handling her stories

The movie adaptation was announced on June 6 2024, and is set for release on November 20 2026. It is being directed by Francis Lawrence, who also directed Catching Fire (2013), Mockingjay Part 1 (2014), Mockingjay Part 2 (2015), and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023). In a 2023 interview, Lawrence stated that he “would come back 100 percent if asked. But it’s got to come from the mind of Suzanne.” I think part of what makes these movies so excellent is the relationship between Lawrence and Collins and his respect and care in handling her stories and their themes authentically. Screenwriter of the first Hunger Games (2012) movie, Billy Ray, is also back to work on Sunrise. Their return to direct this latest addition of the franchise can only be good news.

Since the release of Sunrise, there has been much speculation online surrounding the casting of these characters, both in terms of their book-accuracy, but also, considering this is set between the events of Ballad and the original trilogy, that the actors cast can feasibly be seen as each other at different ages. The actor for Haymitch not only has to be able to play book-Haymitch, but also has to be able to play a young Woody Harrelson playing book-Haymitch. Taking on this task is Joseph Zada.

Relatively unknown Australian actor Joseph Zada has just a few film and television credits at the moment, but seems to be a promising choice to play a young, rebellious Haymitch Abernathy. As a 20-year-old myself, the prospect of stepping onto the world-stage in perhaps the most anticipated role at this time – and into one of the most beloved and successful franchises – seems absolutely terrifying, but Sunrise is not the only big upcoming project for Zada. He will be appearing in the Amazon Prime TV-series adaptation of the book We Were Liars, as well as starring alongside Florence Pugh and Mike Faist in Netflix’s 2026 limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel East of Eden.  Whilst I can’t say that I’ve seen any of Zada’s roles, he has certainly got the right look for this character, and his involvement in multiple major projects at the moment bodes well for his ability to reimagine Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch 24 years prior to our first meeting him.

We also have confirmed casting from Lionsgate that Ugandan-Canadian actress Whitney Peak will play the role of Haymitch’s girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird. She is known for her roles in the Gossip Girl revival, Hocus Pocus 2, and Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Peak is set to star alongside Phoebe Dynevor (known for playing Daphne Bridgerton) in the upcoming thriller Shiver (2026). Although another relative unknown, Peak is plausibly a relation of Rachel Zegler’s Lucy Gray Baird in Ballad and seems as though she will bring another member of the musical, bringing the travelling Covey to life in the same vein as Zegler’s Lucy Gray. Peak is also known to be friends with singer Sabrina Carpenter, leading fans to speculate that she might be the latest addition to the catalogue of artists, which includes Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift, contributing to the franchise’s soundtracks.

The reaction to this announcement has been overwhelmingly positive, expressing excitement that both Haymitch and Lenore will be played by young, up-and-coming actors

The third and final announcement that we have so far is the casting for one of Haymitch’s fellow District 12 tributes and original owner of Katniss’ Mockingjay pin, Maysilee Donner. Lionsgate have cast actress and singer Mckenna Grace in this role, one of the many names considered by fans, and, appearance-wise, she fits this role perfectly. Grace is a more established actor, known for The Haunting of Hill House, Young Sheldon, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, to name a few of her on-screen credentials. Despite being just 18, she brings lots of experience to this role and fans are looking forward to her take on the sassy Maysilee Donner.

The reaction to this announcement has been overwhelmingly positive, expressing excitement that both Haymitch and Lenore will be played by young, up-and-coming actors. Fans look forward to further casting announcements and speculation continues online as to who will be stepping into other major roles, such as a young Effie Trinket, Plutarch Heavensbee, Caesar Flickerman and, of course, a Coriolanus Snow situated in between Tom Blyth’s performance in Ballad and Donald Sutherland’s in the original franchise. Discourse online seems to be favouring Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, and Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, but we’ll have to wait for more news from Lionsgate before getting too excited by that star-studded line-up.

Excitement for this movie is running high, and love for the franchise runs deep within the fanbase. This first announcement is extremely promising for those to follow, and November 2026 cannot come quickly enough!