🔗 Share this article

It has been confirmed that original stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are returning to their iconic characters in the latest chapter of the Hunger Games film series, titled The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Production is currently underway.

An Important Return to Panem

Lawrence and Hutcherson are slated to play Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the characters they made famous. Industry whispers indicate their cameos will take the form of a flash-forward sequence, as the main film series concluded with their characters settled into family life.

This marks the sixth film in the global Hunger Games franchise.

The Source Material

Sunrise on the Reaping is adapted from a recent book by series creator Suzanne Collins. It serves as the second film set before the original story after 2023's The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Returning to the director's chair is Francis Lawrence, who directed most of the previous films in the series.

A New Era in Panem

The film's story are set in the years leading up to the first Hunger Games, spotlighting a young Haymitch Abernathy. Haymitch, who would later become Katniss's mentor, is portrayed as a tribute in the brutal 50th Hunger Games.

The cast also includes several notable actors in important characters:

• Jesse Plemons will portray Plutarch Heavensbee.
• Ralph Fiennes will appear as a younger version of the menacing President Snow.

What the Stars Are Doing Now & The Film's Schedule

Separately, Jennifer Lawrence stars in the film Die My Love. Josh Hutcherson stars in the sequel to the hit horror film Five Nights at Freddy's 2.

Regarding the production schedule:

1. Principal photography started in the summer of 2025.
2. Filming was completed in November of the same year.
3. The much-discussed film is targeting a November 2026 premiere.

Audiences worldwide can now look forward to the reunion of these iconic characters to the world of Panem.