By The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest prequel, has revealed several key characters – and Rachel Zegler, who portrayed Lucy Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds, gives her endorsement.
As reported by Deadline, the announced cast includes Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy, Whitney Peak, Lenore Dove Baird, and Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner. Zegler shared Peak’s casting on her Instagram in a now-expired story, stating: “I am certain she will honor the Baird name.”
The book Sunrise on the Reaping, which debuted earlier this March, takes place 24 years prior to the events of the original Hunger Games novel and focuses on the 50th Hunger Games, where a young Haymitch took part. Haymitch was portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the original live-action Hunger Games series, while Plutarch was played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. A sequel to Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled for release next year.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the initial live-action prequel, premiered in 2023 and garnered $349 million against a production budget of $100 million – prompting Lionsgate to greenlight the continuation of the cherished franchise and adapt Suzanne Collins’ newer Hunger Games novels as they are released. We’re certainly not complaining.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is set to arrive in theaters on November 6, 2026. For further details, explore our list of the most thrilling upcoming films in 2025 and beyond, or, ch