We’re about halfway through 2024, but the world of upcoming 2025 movies is already coming into view. The same could be said for all sorts of projects dropping in the year to come, and another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place, thanks to The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins announcing the next prequel novel, Sunrise on the Reaping.
As the book itself is set for a March 18, 2025 release date, there's already a film adaptation in the works, complete with when to expect the next Hunger Games movie in theaters. What's more, there's also some clues about what the sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes might be about. And there's a good chance that a handful of familiar faces will play prominent roles in this new blast from the past.
Introducing Sunrise On The Reaping
Per a press release from Lionsgate, Sunset on the Reaping will be on bookshelves staring March 18, 2025; with the cinematic adaptation scheduled for debut on November 20, 2026. Franchise stalwart Francis Lawrence is returning to direct once again, marking his fifth directing stint with The Hunger Games overall.
At this time, there's no suggestion on who will be adapting the film's screenplay, but anyone who’s read The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes review on CinemaBlend would know that this prospect is rather welcomed. Even if the new prequel, titled Sunrise on the Reaping, jumps 40 years past Songbirds and Snakes’ ambiguous ending, and right into the 50th Hunger Games.
In her statement teasing the book’s contents to AP News, Suzanne Collins provided more of what fans should expect from this new Hunger Games prequel. Those details read as follows:
With ‘Sunrise on the Reaping,’ I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few. The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day.
While the story is a bit vague at the moment, other than it starts on the morning of this infamous day in Panem history, an overall picture is starting to emerge based on the breadcrumbs Collins has left her fans. Starting with the fact that the novel's setting against the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, means that we'll probably run into none other than future Tribute mentor Haymitch Abernathy.
Played by Woody Harrelson in The Hunger Games trilogy, we just might get to see further into the tragic past that shaped him into the embittered man we saw at the start of Jennifer Lawrence’s adventures as Katniss Everdeen. Especially because this Second Quarter Quell saw him as the victor, and we all know what happens to people who win The Hunger Games over time.
Which Other Hunger Games Characters Could We See In Sunrise On The Reaping?
Sunrise on the Reaping's early details also hint to some further interesting prospects of note. More specifically, the theme of propaganda taking priority in this new Hunger Games story means that we might see the further ascendance of an older Coriolanus Snow. The importance of optics and public relations could also show us his further development after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and the state that Panem is in as a result of that unknown history.
Also, wherever there’s propaganda, there’s cameras. And wherever there’s cameras in Panem, there’s a fine chance that a Flickerman will be on hand to gladhand the audience. Though the question will be if Sunrise on the Reaping will depict the later reign of Jason Schwartzman’s Lucky Flickerman in that arena, or if we’ll see Stanley Tucci’s Caesar start to take his place in history.
As you can see, the absence of plot details makes the next Hunger Games prequel a rather intriguing enigma. But from where I’m standing, that’s a good thing; especially with the longer than expected time jump in installments. Much like the 2024 movie Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, an established franchise is getting an expansion to its lore that still leaves room for some backfilling, should the audience crave it in the long run.
Sunrise on the Reaping will be available on shelves starting March 18, 2025; with the film version currently set to bow on November 20, 2026. In the meantime, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is currently streaming through the Starz library. Should you not have a direct subscription to that platform, it can easily be added to a Prime Video subscription.
