Overview

• Glenn Close and Billy Porter were confirmed Monday by Lionsgate as the latest stars joining the cast of the prequel.
• Close will play Drusilla Sickle, District 12’s harsh tribute escort, while Porter portrays Magno Stift, her estranged husband and the district’s stylist.
• The story revisits the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell, focusing on Haymitch Abernathy’s deadly arena debut.
• Francis Lawrence is directing the adaptation from Billy Ray’s screenplay with production set to begin in July 2025.
• Suzanne Collins’s novel sold 1.5 million copies in its first week and the film is slated for a November 20, 2026 theatrical release.