Lionsgate dropped a trailer for its upcoming film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping.
Collins’ novel, published in March by Scholastic, is the newest installment of her popular Hunger Games series of dystopian young adult novels. The book, a prequel to the first Hunger Games novel, follows Haymitch Abernathy, a 16-year-old boy who is chosen as a tribute in the 50th edition of the games, in which children are forced to fight in a battle royale to the death.
In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus called the novel “a heartbreaking crescendo and another grimly irresistible chapter in the saga of this interlocking series.”
The film adaptation of the novel stars Joseph Zada (We Were Liars) as Haymitch, with other cast members including Elle Fanning (Maleficent), Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog), Glenn Close (The Wife), and Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain). Written by Billy Ray and directed by Francis Lawrence, it’s the sixth movie based on Collins’ books.
The trailer for the film opens with Close as Drusilla Sickle, an escort for the tributes, proclaiming, “Welcome, Panem, to the glorious reaping of District 12! Twice the number of tributes, twice the glory. It’s time for the second Quarter Quell. Let the 50th Hunger Games begin!”
The teen tributes are shown running, fighting for survival, and locked in battle with one another. It ends with Zada looking at a volcano erupting, and saying in a voiceover, “I think these games are going to be different.”
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is set to open in theaters on Nov. 20, 2026.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
