Jennifer Lawrence has confirmed it: she’s officially returning to the franchise that made her a star. The Oscar-winner is set to reprise her role as Katniss Everdeen for the first time since “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” ruled the box office in 2015. She’ll return alongside Josh Hutcherson as Peeta in the upcoming prequel “Sunrise on the Reaping,” which hits theaters next month.
As for how Lawrence’s Katniss and Hutcherson’s Peeta could return in the “Hunger Games” prequel? That has yet to be revealed but it’s a big deal to have these characters back for the first time in more than a decade. Lawrence recently appeared on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and was asked about returning as Katniss all these years later. Here’s what she had to say about it:
“It was unbelievable. It was so crazy. It was the same crew. It was the same AD, who I’ve worked with a million times because I love him. And with Josh (Hutcherson) and Woody (Harrelson)…it was so emotional. Josh and I didn’t walk to the bathroom without our arms around each other. It was so beautiful. And Woody, obviously, came through the window of my hotel room uninvited. It wouldn’t be the same if he listened to boundaries or used a door.”
The new prequel 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. This is the famed edition of the games in which Haymitch Abernathy participated, and “Sunrise on the Reaping” found its young Haymitch Abernathy in Joseph Zada (“East of Eden”). But as Lawrence also confirmed, Woody Harrelson will reprise the role as well.
Sunrise on the Reaping is a major event in the Hunger Games franchise
This really is a major reunion. Not only is much of the OG cast returning (even if it’s likely a small appearance), but director Francis Lawrence is also back in the saddle once again. That makes this a major event for “The Hunger Games” franchise.
2023’s “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” was a vital “Hunger Games” prequel, telling the story of young Coriolanus Snow. That said, it didn’t feature quite as many familiar names and faces as this latest prequel does. There’s also the story at hand, which is one fans have wanted to see for a very long time.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” reveals how Haymitch ended up in the Hunger Games, which we know he won since he went on to mentor Katniss and Peeta. But previous films never fully dug into his story and this movie will pull the curtain back, telling the tale of one of the franchise’s most important characters. The book was received very well by fans but the movie has the chance to make this into more of a cinematic event; a culmination of everything that has happened across these six movies up to this point.
Given that Jennifer Lawrence is now an Oscar-winner and in-demand actress, it would be easy to imagine her wanting to move on from Katniss. Having her back and rather enthusiastic about it only broadens this movie’s appeal.
“The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” hits theaters on November 20, 2026.
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