After a decade away from the franchise, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will return to “The Hunger Games.”
THR reports that the actors will reprise their respective roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in the upcoming prequel film “The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping.” The franchise’s two biggest stars, in a prequel film — how does that work? That’s not clear right now, but one would surmise director Francis Lawrence will add the two in a flash-forward of some kind. Lionsgate releases the film in theaters on November 20, 2026.
The returns of Lawrence and Hutcherson are the latest casting news for “Sunrise On The Reaping,” an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ book about a young Haymitch Abernathy’s participation in the 50th Hunger Games, aka: the Quarter Quell. Other cast in the installment include Ralph Fiennes, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Joseph Zada, Glenn Close, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, and Whitney Peak. It’s the first “Hunger Games” film since 2023’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes,” another prequel starring Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, and Hunter Schafer.
“Sunrise” will be Lawrence and Hutcherson’s first film in the franchise since 2015’s “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2,” which saw the two characters married with children. But where will fans find them in the new installment? Again, that remains to be seen. Right now, the prequel is Lawrence’s only upcoming role since starring in Lynne Ramsay’s “Die My Love” this year. As for Hutcherson, he’s fresh off of “Five Nights At Freddy’s 2,” and has “Littlemouth” and “The Long Home” also on the way.
Next to the “John Wick” series, “The Hunger Games” remains one of Lionsgate’s most lucrative franchises. The first five movies of the series have made over $3.3 billion total at the global box office, and with Lawrence and Hutcherson back, it’s safe to expect “Sunrise” to be another winner theatrically. Still, one wonders if the pair’s return also signals urgency on the part of the studio and director Lawrence. Why not leave the returns of Katniss and Peeta as a surprise for diehard fans? Maybe because Lionsgate feels “Sunrise On The Reaping” needs some extra momentum to match its predecessor’s numbers.
