Hunger Games fans are staying fed. This week, the dystopian film franchise announced the cast of the highly anticipated Sunrise on the Reaping, adapted from author Suzanne Collins’ just-released novel of the same name.
Though the film is set more than two decades before the original Hunger Games trilogy kicks off with Jennifer Lawrence’s heroine Katniss, a beloved character is back. Sunrise tells the story of a teenage Haymitch Abernathy, portrayed in the original franchise by Woody Harrelson, as he fights to survive his own Hunger Games — all while refusing to bend a knee to the ruthless Capitol which placed him and 47 other children in the deadly arena.
The movie comes after the 2023 adaptation of The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes, which starred Tom Blyth as a young will-be President Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, a singer forced to compete in the Hunger Games.
The Sunrise on the Reaping novel only hit bookshelves on March 18, 2025 — but fans have been itching to see who will star in the film. With the movie already slated to hit theaters on Nov. 20, 2026, here’s who we know will appear thus far.
Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy
In Sunrise on the Reaping, Harrelson’s gruff, ornery character is 16 and trying to survive a grueling life in Panem’s District 12 when a series of shocking circumstances leads him to be called to the Hunger Games arena. (And on his birthday, no less!) But Haymitch won’t go down without a fight, and while we may think we know how Haymitch’s story ends, there’s a lot to Sunrise on the Reaping that quietly sets up Katniss and co.’s future ability to take down corrupt President Snow once and for all.
If you haven’t heard Joseph Zada’s name before, you will soon. The 20-year-old Australian actor is set to star in two highly anticipated TV adaptations: Netflix’s East of Eden opposite Florence Pugh, as well as E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, dropping on Prime Video this summer. He also appeared in the Australian series Invisible Boys which dropped earlier this year.
Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird
Lenore Dove is a member of the Covey, a group of traveling musicians and storytellers — just like Lucy Gray Baird was in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. She’s also Haymitch’s longtime love.
Whitney Peak is best known for her starring role in the Max Gossip Girl revival, as well as The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Hocus Pocus 2. She also appeared in Sabrina Carpenter’s music video of “Nonsense.”
McKenna Grace as Maysilee Donner
Maysilee Donner is a shopkeeper’s daughter who becomes one of District 12’s tributes in the super-size version of The Hunger Games alongside Haymitch. In the book, it’s also revealed that she is the original owner of Katniss’ Mockingjay pin — something that is cut from the Hunger Games film franchise. She becomes one of Haymitch’s trusted allies in the arena, despite the two getting off on the wrong foot.
McKenna Grace is a singer and actress who starred as a young Margot Robbie in I, Tonya. She appeared in TV roles including The Haunting of Hill House and Designated Survivor before starring in the rebooted Ghostbusters: Afterlife franchise and The Handmaid’s Tale, where she was nominated for an Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series Emmy in 2021. She’s also slated to star in the upcoming Colleen Hoover adaptation Regretting You.
