With literally decades’ worth of reapings, there is a wealth of Panem material for Lionsgate to mine, including characters with long backstories ready to be explored. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping takes us back to the early years of one of the most popular characters, Haymitch Abernathy, future mentor and winner of the infamous Second Quarter Quell.
After a teaser was released late last year, a full trailer for Sunrise on the Reaping has arrived, featuring Joseph Zada as a young Haymitch. He’s got big shoes to fill as Woody Harrelson played the alcoholic, prickly Haymitch in the four original movies.
The footage also offers our first looks at Elle Fanning as flamboyant stylist Effie Trinket, previously played by Elizabeth Banks; plus Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, originally played by Stanley Tucci; Ralph Fiennes as a middle-aged Coriolanus Snow, previously played by Donald Sutherland and Tom Blyth; and Maya Hawke as Wiress, originally played by Amanda Plummer; Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, who Philip Seymour Hoffman played before his tragic passing.
Also in the cast are McKenna Grace, Ben Wang, Glenn Close, Whitney Peak, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Billy Porter, Iris Apatow, Lili Taylor and more.
The film is directed by franchise vet, Francis Lawrence, from a Billy Ray script adapted from Suzanne Collins’ book.
Synopsis: THE HUNGER GAMES: 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 Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens on November 20th.
