Overview
- The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline report the original franchise leads will appear in Lionsgate’s prequel, though the studio has not commented.
- Their roles are undisclosed, with coverage pointing to the book’s forward-jump epilogue as the clearest path for their presence in the story.
- Francis Lawrence directs from Billy Ray’s adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ bestseller, with producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson for Color Force.
- Joseph Zada leads as a young Haymitch Abernathy in a story set 24 years before the first films, alongside an ensemble including Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak and Kelvin Harrison Jr.
- The release is set for Nov. 20, 2026, after a teaser that drew about 109 million views in 24 hours and a novel launch that sold roughly 1.5 million copies in its first week.