Sunrise On The Reaping Will Mark The Hunger Games Franchise’s Triumphant Return To Cinemas

Even though Sunrise on the Reaping was just released on March 18th, 2025, in book format, its movie release date has already been slated. Scheduled for November 20th, 2026, the film promises to follow one of the secondary characters from the original The Hunger Games series: Haymitch Abernathy. 

Katniss and Peeta’s mentor was a survivor of a former Games himself, which is what Sunrise on the Reaping focuses on. This is the second prequel in The Hunger Games franchise — the first being The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, following President Snow way back when the Games were first created. 

Sunrise on the Reaping follows The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but still occurs over two decades before the first The Hunger Games book. The book centers on the events of the Second Quarter Quell; during this year, the Capitol decided to make the Games unique by reaping double the typical number of tributes, of which Haymitch was one. In order to be reunited with his beloved girlfriend and family, he must defeat the odds to emerge as the sole winner of the Games.

Though it might seem like Haymitch is the primary recognizable character of Sunrise on the Reaping, there are actually plenty of recognizable faces that play a role in the new prequel. Plutarch Heavensbee — the man behind the revolt in the second Hunger Games film — along with Mags Flanagan, Effie, Caesar, and even Beetee Lavier are a few characters from the prequel that you’re bound to recognize.

Even though it’s been years since the original The Hunger Games franchise released, Suzanne Collins has had no trouble keeping fans hooked on more Hunger Games content that is just as good as the original books. It’s impressive that she’s managed to keep the series running for so long — and fans are consistently satisfied with the work she puts out. It’s exciting to see a franchise that’s been continuing successfully for so long — and after the blockbuster hit The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes first debuted in late 2023, fans are already clamoring for more Hunger Games content to hit theaters as soon as possible.

You’ll definitely have to wait at least until late 2026 to see the new Hunger Games prequel movie, since the book itself just released. There are no further details about the film yet, but it’s pretty likely that it will follow the plot of the book carefully, as with all past Hunger Games films. Sunrise on the Reaping has already broken book sale records for other books from the franchise, which makes the success of the film adaptation even more promising.