After a decade away from the dystopian franchise, original stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are returning to The Hunger Games.
Lawrence and Hutcherson will appear in Lionsgate's upcoming prequel movie The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, as confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter. Both stars will reprise their roles, with Lawrence returning as Katniss Everdeen, and Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark.
This is not a huge surprise, as fans who have read Suzanne Collins‘ newest Hunger Games novel will know that the two do show up momentarily. We first met Lawrence's bow-wielding freedom fighter and Hutcherson's shy baker boy in Francis Lawrence's 2012 movie, in which the two took part in a grueling televised competition in which contestants fought to the death to keep the peace in the real world. The next three movies, Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, and Mockingjay Part 2, saw the two continue to fight to bring down President Snow's cruel regime.
However, Sunrise on the Reaping will take fans back 24 years earlier, where 12 unlucky boys and girls are picked for the 50th Hunger Games, including Katniss' and Peeta's future mentor, Hamish Abernathy. With this, you may be wondering how Katniss and Peeta will appear in a movie that is set decades before the first film. Lionsgate has yet to confirm the details, but we'll likely see the pair in a flash-forward.
In an interview with GamesRadar+, before the news was confirmed, we asked Hutcherson how it feels to see the franchise continue after so long, to which the star said, "It's amazing. And for me, I think it's so cool to pass it off to another generation. You know, to have been a part of The Hunger Games was one of the coolest things I've gotten to do in my whole life. And to see now a new wave of actors coming into these roles and coming into this world."
Sunrise on the Reaping stars Joseph Zada as Hamish, Ralph Fiennes as Snow, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, and Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, as well as Glenn Close, McKenna Grace, Maya Hawke, and Whitney Peak.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will hit theaters on November 20, 2026. For more, check out our guide to the best sci-fi movies, and keep up to date with upcoming movies heading your way.
