The Hunger Games: Jennifer Lawrence confirms she'll return as Katniss
In Sunrise on the Reaping, other stars are also making a comeback
Now it's finally official: Jennifer Lawrence will appear in "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping." The actress confirmed her return as Katniss Everdeen on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast. In the first four films of the dystopian "Hunger Games" series (2012–2015), Katniss – played by Lawrence – was at the center of the plot. In 2023, "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," a prequel featuring a new cast, was released, and the story of this prequel now continues with "Sunrise on the Reaping."
Lawrence isn't the only star from the original films making a comeback in the new movie. We'll also see Josh Hutcherson reprise his role as Peeta Mellark. KinoCheck had already reported on the pair's rumored return last December, but official confirmation only came now through Lawrence's podcast appearance. She also revealed in passing that Woody Harrelson will return as Haymitch Abernathy in "Sunrise on the Reaping." Lawrence expressed her enthusiasm about working with her former co-stars again. In the podcast, she said:
"It was so crazy. Because it was the same crew, the same camera guys. The same AD, who I've worked with a million times because I love him. And Josh [Hutcherson] and Woody [Harrelson]. It was so emotional. Josh and I didn't walk to the bathroom without our arms around each other. It was so beautiful. And Woody, obviously, came through the window of my hotel room uninvited. It wouldn't be the same if he listened to boundaries and used a door."
What is The Hunger Games about?
The "Hunger Games" series is set in a fictional dictatorship where the citizens of the Capitol enjoy prosperity while the people in the outer districts are forced to starve. What's particularly insidious is that every year, the so-called Hunger Games take place, in which the selected participants must fight each other until only one remains alive. In the first film from 2012, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, along with other adolescent participants, are forced to take part in the elaborately staged, televised battle to the death.
The upcoming prequel, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping", centers on the young Haymitch Abernathy, who is chosen for the Hunger Games 24 years before the events of the first film. Haymitch is portrayed here by Joseph Zada. "Sunrise on the Reaping" is based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, who also wrote the books on which the other "Hunger Games" films are based. At the end of the prequel novel, there is a time jump in the form of an epilogue featuring an older Haymitch, as well as Katniss and Peeta. Consequently, it stands to reason that the film adaptation of "Sunrise on the Reaping" will also feature a similar time jump alongside the main plot, allowing for appearances by Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Lawrence, and Josh Hutcherson.
Upcoming theater release
Francis Lawrence is once again directing the prequel; he directed all the films in the "Hunger Games" series except for the first one (Gary Ross directed the first film). The screenplay was written by Billy Ray and Michael Lesslie. Alongside lead actor Joseph Zada, the cast includes Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Ben Wang, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak, and Kelvin Harrison Jr.
It won't be long until the new film is released. "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" hits theaters on November 20, 2026.
