What We Know About ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping’

The Hunger Games franchise remains as fresh and as relevant as it was when it made its big-screen debut way back in 2012 with the adaptation of the titular first book in the series by author Suzanne Collins.

This has been proven by the success of 2023’s film adaptation of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and last year’s book release of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which sold more than 1.5 million English-language copies worldwide in its first week.

Its highly anticipated film adaptation will release in cinemas nationwide on November 19. Rising Aussie superstar Joseph Zada (best known as Johnny Sinclair Dennis in Amazon Prime’s We Were Liars) leads the cast as a young iteration of fan-favourite character Haymitch Abernathy.

With this Hollywood blockbuster release on the horizon, let’s examine why you should be excited for this thrillingly poignant prequel set in the dystopian world of The Hunger Games.

THE SECOND QUARTER QUELL

Taking place twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, the story follows Haymitch Abernathy on his sixteenth birthday, which happens to fall on “Reaping Day”, held every July fourth.

Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird and Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Photo Credit: Murray Close

What starts as a day of celebration with his family and his girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird (Whitney Peak), quickly becomes a nightmare as he finds himself ensnared as a tribute among three other unfortunate souls of District 12.

Haymitch must now train and prepare for the “Second Quarter Quell”, which promises to be the most monumental spectacle yet, with the stakes being significantly upped to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Hunger Games. This means twice the tributes (four from each District), doubling the thrills from twenty-four to forty-eight participants, as well as the ensuing devastation.

The story will explore Haymitch’s tragic origins and the rise of his rebellious spirit, giving a fresh perspective on the protracted fight to liberate Panem from the indomitable grasp of President Snow. What does it truly mean to be a person with nothing left to lose? Does it equate to brokenness, or perhaps a renewed and emboldened sense of purpose?

MEET THE PLAYERS

Like the previous entries in the film series, Sunrise on the Reaping features a star-studded cast of A-list and up-and-coming talent. Since this film is taking place chronologically before the original film, there are plenty of familiar faces in this plot, albeit younger, and played by different actors.

Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Photo Credit: Murray Close/Lionsgate

Joining the franchise are Ralph Fiennes (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple) as President Coriolanus Snow, Elle Fanning (Predator: Badlands) as Effie Trinket, Jesse Plemons (Bugonia) as Plutarch Heavensbee, Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) as Wiress, Kieran Culkin (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) as Caesar Flickerman, Lili Taylor (The Conjuring) as Mags Flanagan, and Glenn Close (Wake Up Dead Man) as Drusilla Sickle.

Filling out the rest of the District 12 tributes are Mckenna Grace, Ben Wang, and Molly McCann as Maysilee Donner, Wyatt Callow, and Louella McCoy, respectively. Grace has already made it as a Hollywood household name at the young age of twenty for starring in beloved franchises such as Ghostbusters, Annabelle, Scream, and Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Ben Wang recently starred as Li Fong alongside Jackie Chan’s Mr Han and Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso in Karate Kid: Legends. He also portrayed Hank Olson in last year’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk directed by Francis Lawrence, who should sound familiar to fans, as he has directed every Hunger Games film except for the original, and is back in the directing chair for Sunrise on the Reaping.

Expect plenty of gut-wrenchingly emotional performances, as per Hunger Games tradition.

THE ARENA AWAITS

Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy and McKenna Grace as Maysilee Donner in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Photo Credit: Murray Close

In an interview with Variety Australia, Mckenna Grace spoke about her experience working on Sunrise on the Reaping. “[Joseph Zada] is one of the most talented actors I’ve ever worked with. He’s genuinely about to become one of the biggest stars ever. I’m so excited for everybody to watch him perform.

“The set design, the costume design, the makeup, the hair, the cast, the directing, the cinematography — all of it is [due to] such talented creatives working at the highest level and operating at the best of their abilities. [Sunrise on the Reaping] is gonna be really, really sad…. Lots of tears, lots of drama, but it’s going to be beautiful.”

Whether you have read and enjoyed Sunrise on the Reaping or are waiting to experience the story for the first time in cinemas, the film adaptation promises to be an unforgettable and heart-pounding entry in the long-running franchise, especially with the talented cast and crew at the helm. In the words of The Capitol: “Happy Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favour.”

‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ releases in cinemas on November 19!