The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping: Lionsgate announces new prequel set for November 2026 release; director Francis Lawrence in talks to return

The dystopian world of The Hunger Games is expanding once again. Lionsgate has announced a new prequel film, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, scheduled to hit theatres in November 2026. This exciting development comes on the heels of the successful 2023 release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which explored the early days of the Games and the rise of President Snow.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes may have wrapped up Suzanne Collins' 2020 novel of the same name, but Lionsgate clearly sees more potential in Panem. "The film opened an endless series of possibilities," said Adam Fogelson, chairman of the studio's motion picture group, hinting at a future beyond the source material, as reported by Variety.

To capitalize on this potential, Collins is penning a brand new book, “Sunrise on the Reaping,” slated for release in 2025. The film adaptation will follow suit a year later, potentially reigniting the box office fire that the original trilogy ignited.

Francis Lawrence, who directed all the Hunger Games films since Catching Fire in 2012, is in talks to return to the helm.

Unlike Songbirds and Snakes which ventured 64 years before Katniss Everdeen's story, Sunrise on the Reaping takes place closer to the original trilogy. The film will revisit Panem 24 years before Katniss' Games, focusing on a pivotal event: the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. This is the very Games where Haymitch Abernathy, the jaded mentor Katniss relies on in the original series, secured his victory.

Lionsgate veterans Meredith Wieck and Scott O'Brien will oversee the production, ensuring experienced hands are guiding the project. Securing the rights for the book is also in capable hands, with Patricia Laucella and Phil Strina spearheading that aspect.