From Joseph Zada to Whitney Peak, here are the actors playing the characters set to be introduced in the Haymitch prequel film.
Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak
Hugh Stewart; Kate Whyte
A new (earlier) era of The Hunger Games has arrived.
Following the Songbirds and Snakes prequel, which explored the early life and rise of villainous tyrant President Coriolanus Snow, Lionsgate is now ready to chronicle fan favorite Haymitch (portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the films), who later acted as a mentor in the Hunger Games to heroine Katniss Everdeen.
Author Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping was released on March 18 and revisits the world of Panem 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, when a younger Haymitch competes.
The film adaptation of Sunrise on the Reaping is set to be released on Nov. 20, 2026. Francis Lawrence will return to direct the adaptation for Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson’s Color Force banner. Billy Ray is writing the screenplay. Lawrence, screenwriter Michael Arndt and producer Jacobson previously teamed with Lionsgate on four film adaptations of Collins’ Hunger Games books — The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay.
Below, The Hollywood Reporter details the characters set to be introduced in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and who will be playing them. This story will be continuously updated with casting announcements.
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Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy
Image Credit: Hugh Stewart In the original Hunger Games films, Woody Harrelson portrayed Katniss Everdeen’s mentor in the Hunger Games, Haymitch Abernathy. Now Zada will portray the younger, Abernathy in the upcoming prequel.
Sunrise on the Reaping revisits the world of Panem 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, when Haymitch Abernathy competes.
Newcomer Zada will also be seen in the Amazon series We Were Liars and starring opposite Florence Pugh and Mike Faist in Netflix’s East of Eden.
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Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird
Image Credit: Kate Whyte Whitney Peak, known for having starred in the rebooted Gossip Girl series, will star alongside Joseph Zada in the prequel film as Haymitch’s girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird. Lenore is a Covey girl living in District 12.
Of casting Peak and Joseph Zada in the lead roles Erin Westerman, co-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said, “The Hunger Games franchise has long been a launching pad for remarkable young actors, and Jo and Whitney carry that legacy forward with incredible heart, depth, and fire. After auditioning hundreds of gifted performers from around the world, these two stood out—not just for their talent, but for the emotional truth they brought to these iconic roles.”
Peak will next be seen in Sony’s shark thriller Shiver opposite Phoebe Dynevor.
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Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner
Image Credit: Gus Black Mckenna Grace will star in Sunrise on the Reaping as a fellow District 12 tribute Maysilee Donner. In the book, Maysilee is known to resent the Capitol for its dehumanizing treatment of people and is determined to fight back against them. While in the arena, she and Haymitch depend on each other. Maysilee is most notably the original owner of the mockingjay pin that Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen is gifted at the start of The Hunger Games.
Grace’s previous roles include starring in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Her upcoming projects also include the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestseller Regretting You for Paramount, Blumhouse’s Kiss of Death, the Five Nights at Freddy’s sequel, Scream 7 and Lionsgate’s Anniversary.
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Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee
Image Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images Jesse Plemons has joined the cast of the new Hunger Games prequel as future Head Gamemaker and rebellion leader, Plutarch Heavensbee, who was previously played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman; his performances in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Parts 1 and 2 were his final film roles. In Sunrise on the Reaping, the story opens with a young Plutarch Heavensbee in District 12, capturing the reaping of the Tributes there.
Erin Westerman, co-president, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement, “Jesse is one of the most talented actors of his generation, with a proven record of picking his roles selectively. We are honored that he has chosen to bring his own take to one of the most fascinating figures in Panem, and feel that his previous collaboration with Philip Seymour Hoffman makes it all the more special. His Plutarch will be both a tribute to the character fans have already come to know and a portrayal he makes his own. We can’t wait for audiences to see it.”
Jacobson added, “Jesse has been one of my favorite actors since I first saw him in ‘Friday Night Lights.’ We knew from the start that only an actor’s actor could play a young version of Plutarch. Jesse was the dream from the start and we couldn’t be prouder to have him join the Hunger Games family.”
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Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee
Image Credit: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Vanity Fair Mufasa: The Lion King star Kelvin Harrison Jr. will portray Beetee in the upcoming film. In Sunrise on the Reaping, Beetee is champion of the 34th Hunger Games and father of Ampert Latier, Tribute in the 50th Hunger Games. Previously voicing the role of Taka in Mufasa: The Lion King, Harrison Jr. is also set to star as Jean-Michel Basquiat in Samo Lives in which he will also serve as executive producer. He is represented by WME, Anonymous Content, and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang.
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Maya Hawke as Wiress
Image Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney/Pixar Maya Hawke will portray Wiress, former Hunger Games champion-turned-District 12 mentor, in the upcoming film.
Hawke will next be seen in the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. She is also set to star in an upcoming Lucia Joyce biopic. Hawke is represented by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, The Oriel Company, Jonathan Sanders & Co., and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox.
