Woody Harrelson’s grizzled, drunken mentor Haymitch Abernathy was one of The Hunger Games‘ most colorful characters. Whoever wins the role of playing a younger version of him in the prequel film, Sunrise On the Reaping, has big shoes to fill. Well, now we know who that actor will be, as Lionsgate confirms Joseph Zada for the role. He’ll be joined by Whitney Peak as Haymitch’s girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird.
Billy Ray, who penned the first movie based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling dystopian novels, will return to write the script. He’s joined by longtime franchise director Francis Lawrence who returns for the fifth time.
Sunrise on the Reaping revisits the world of Panem 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. The story centers on 16-year-old Haymitch, a clever and resourceful boy from District 12, who’s unexpectedly chosen for this edition of the games, which will feature a deadly twist: twice the number of tributes, with 48 children sent into the arena to battle for their lives.
Zada is a relative unknown, currently starring in the Australian series Invisible Boys. He’ll be seen next in the Prime Video series We Were Liars. Peak is a little bit more well-known, having roles in Hocus Pocus 2 and the Gossip Girl reboot.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise On the Reaping hits theaters on November 20th 2026. [Deadline]
