Suzanne Collins’ “Sunrise on the Reaping” hit bookshelves on Mar. 18, but the movie adaptation of the Hunger Games prequel is already in the works. 2020’s “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” takes place 64 years before the main trilogy and focuses on President Snow as a young man. The new book “Sunrise on the Reaping” takes place closer in time to the original “Hunger Games” trilogy, leaving room for plenty of familiar characters to appear — including one legacy character from the first trilogy who gets a particularly heartbreaking past, making their eventual fight against the Capitol even more powerful.
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” earned an impressive $337.4 million at the global box office. The original trilogy was adapted into four films starring Jennifer Lawrence, which were highly successful and catapulted her to worldwide fame. Altogether, the “Hunger Games” film series is the 20th highest-grossing franchise of all time, making $3.3 billion for Lionsgate.
The new book begins with the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games. It’s set 24 years before the original “Hunger Games” novel and 40 years after “Songbirds and Snakes.” Collins has drawn upon Greek mythology and the Roman gladiator games for her earlier books. For “Sunrise on the Reaping,” her muses included the Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume.
Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss and Peeta’s mentor from the first trilogy, narrates the events of Sunrise on the Reaping, which starts when he’s 16 years old. Collins also gives other players more fleshed-out backstories, adding new insight about their characters. A 16-year-old Haymitch was chosen to compete in the 50th Hunger Games, or what is known as the Second Quarter Quell. Unlike the regular Hunger Games, which saw a boy and girl from each district chosen to compete, his year the number of candidates doubled, meaning two boys and two girls from each district compete.
Variety reports producer Nina Jacobson, who also produced the original four films as well as 2023 prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, said casting for Haymitch Abernathy can finally get underway now that Collins’ book is out.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” is due in theaters in Nov. 2026, and fans are already making casting suggestions. Popular suggestions include the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” star Walker Scobell, Rudy Pankow from “Outer Banks” and Noah LaLonde from “My Life With the Walter Boys”.
