The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be the next installment in The Hunger Games franchise. Author Suzanne Collins, who brought the series to millions of readers, returns to her popular series with the next book of the same name. While The Hunger Games was the core trio of books and a quartet of films—the last book was split into two movies—the next book and film, The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbird and Snakes, took place 40 years before those events. It charted the rise of a pre-President Snow and the evolution of the free-for-all death match becoming the spectacle Katniss and others experience.
Now, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 24 years before the events in The Hunger Games. And it occurs during the Fiftieth Hunger Games known as the Second Quarter Quell. So, fans of the series will remember that Katniss’s mentor—the only living victor from District 12 at the time—Haymitch Abernathy (played by Woody Harrelson in the movies), was the victor of that event, a particularly noteworthy and tragic feat as the Capitol, to celebrate, doubled the number of tributes that year from each district. Haymitch is a popular character, given his penchant for sarcasm. Plus, his need for alcohol to drown out his experiences inspires sympathy.
One of the most memorable lines from Haymitch is about how no one every wins the games; there are only survivors. Now, readers will delve into how Haymitch became the lushy, witty mentor in the series before moviegoers when the book releases in 2025, while Lionsgate plans to release the film in 2026.
Are you excited for a new addition to The Hunger Games series?
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping releases in theaters on November 20, 2026.
