The No. 1 bestselling novel right now is currently one of the most exciting upcoming book adaptations being made into a movie, and I can’t wait for casting announcements to start to drop. I’m of course talking about the next Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, which is set to hit theaters in fall 2026. After the director shared new details about it at CinemaCon this week, he revealed the reason why we don’t know who’s playing young Haymitch yet.
During the Lionsgate CinemaCon Panel on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Francis Lawrence, who has helmed all the Hunger Games movies prior except for the first, unveiled the movie logo for the new movie along with talking about how it will be a “return to form” from the trilogy. However, it’s a bit surprising that the production wouldn’t use the event as a moment to present the movie’s lead, isn’t it? Here’s what Lawrence had to say:
We're just getting started. We were a little handcuffed because the book wasn't out and we were under like lockdown with you know secrets and things like that, but the book's now out and we have full freedom and so cast is well underway.
When the filmmaker spoke to Entertainment Tonight backstage at CinemaCon, he shared that they hadn't been able to get started on casting the role of Haymitch until a couple of weeks ago due to the novel not being out yet. Now that the book is out in the world, the proverbial handcuffs are off, and we should expect to find out who Haymitch will be in the prequel very soon. Francis Lawrence also shared:
Honestly, I read the manuscript originally about a year ago, and when I read it, I fell in love with it and I think it's one of, if not, my favorite book in the series and so I think just coming back to a family that we've built and to a world we've built and certain characters and certain crew members and my producer Nina and working with Suzanne that's all great but I think going back in and telling what I think is one of her best stories within the franchise is really exciting.
Lawrence had the chance to work with Woody Harrelson’s memorable portrayal of Haymitch during the original Hunger Games movies when the character was an advisor to Katniss and Peeta. This time, audiences will get to see Haymitch’s heartbreaking Games during the second Quarter Quell for the big screen, and it has all sorts of connections to the original books.
Months prior to the novel being released, fans have already been trying to fancast the character, with House of the Dragon’s Tom Glynn Carney being a popular pick. We’ll certainly have to wait and see. When it came to the previous Hunger Games movies, a mix of unknowns and established stars have been cast in the franchise before.
In Sunrise on the Reaping, Haymitch is 16 years old, so they are looking for a much younger actor than some of the ideas out there. The movie is set to hit theaters on November 20, 2026. Over the next few months, we expect to learn a lot more about the cast.
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