Overview

• Joseph Zada will portray a young Haymitch Abernathy, while Whitney Peak will play his girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird, in the upcoming prequel film.
• The film, set during the Second Quarter Quell, adapts Suzanne Collins's bestselling novel and takes place 24 years before Katniss Everdeen's time in the arena.
• Francis Lawrence returns to direct the movie, with a screenplay by Billy Ray and production by Color Force's Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson.
• The novel Sunrise on the Reaping sold 1.5 million copies in its first week, underscoring strong global interest in the Hunger Games franchise.
• The prequel is scheduled for a theatrical release on November 20, 2026, continuing the series' legacy of launching emerging talent.