Hunger Games prequel finds its Haymitch, Maysilee, and Lenore Dove – and Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes star Rachel Zegler has given a very special seal of approval

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, yet another new prequel, has cast some of its most important characters – and Rachel Zegler, who played Lucy Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds, approves.

According to Deadline, the cast so far includes Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy, Whitney Peak, Lenore Dove Baird, and Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner. Zegler posted Peak's casting to her Instagram in a now-expired story, writing: "i know she's gonna do the baird name proud."

The novel Sunrise on the Reaping, released just this past March, is set 24 years before the events of the first Hunger Games novel and centers on the 50th Hunger Games, where a young Haymitch competed. Haymitch was played by Woody Harrelson in the original live-action Hunger Games trilogy, with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman playing Plutarch. A sequel to Sunrise on the Reaping is set to hit shelves next year.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the first live-action prequel, hit theaters in 2023 and earned $349 million against a budget of $100 million – giving Lionsgate the greenlight to revive the beloved franchise and continue with adapting Suzanne Collins' newer Hunger Games novels as they continue to be released. We're not complaining.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is set to hit theaters on November 6, 2026. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2025 and beyond, or, check out our list of movie release dates.