Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, the stars of Lionsgate’s “Hunger Games” films, are set to return in the studio’s upcoming prequel film, “Sunrise on the Reaping.”
It has not been disclosed whether the two actors will reprise their roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark or if they will take different roles in this film, which is set 24 years before the events of the original “Hunger Games” books and films and tells the story of how Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss and Peeta’s mentor, survived the 50th Hunger Games.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ newly released novel of the same name, which includes a present-day epilogue in which Haymitch speaks to Katniss and Peeta about his past.
The four “Hunger Games” films, based on Collins’ original trilogy of bestselling books and released between 2012 and 2015, remain as Lionsgate’s highest grossing films of all time and, combined with the 2024 prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” have a lifetime gross of $3.3 billion worldwide.
Series director Francis Lawrence returns to helm the project, directing from an adapted screenplay by Billy Ray. Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are producing through Color Force.
The prequel film stars Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy, Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Ralph Fiennes as Coriolanus Snow, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Billy Porter as Magno Stift, Maya Hawke as Wiress and Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle.
Lawrence and Hutcherson’s return was first reported by The Insneider.
