The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping has officially found the actor to portray a younger Haymitch Abernathy, and also cast the role of his love interest.
Who has joined The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast?
In a recent announcement from Lionsgate and the official The Hunger Games X account, Joseph Zada will play the role of a younger Haymitch Abernathy. Zada is best known for his roles in the television series’ Invisible Boys, We Were Liars, and Total Control.
Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the events of the original series. It tells the story of how Haymitch Abernathy, played by Woody Harrelson in the movies, won the 50th Hunger Games, becoming the only District 12 victor until Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark came along.
Haymitch Abernathy.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – in theaters November 20, 2026. pic.twitter.com/0HgUhRcPF7— The Hunger Games (@TheHungerGames) April 23, 2025
Alongside Zada as a younger Abernathy, Lionsgate also announced that Whitney Peak will play the role of Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s girlfriend. Peak starred in the Max revival of Gossip Girl, and also starred in Disney’s Hocus Pocus 2, as well as the Netflix series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
Lenore Dove Baird.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – in theaters November 20, 2026. pic.twitter.com/TC17ReiuBd— The Hunger Games (@TheHungerGames) April 23, 2025
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be released in United States theaters on November 20, 2026, from Lionsgate.
The Hunger Games prequel movie is being directed by Francis Lawrence, who has also helmed a number of the franchise’s previous entries. Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are producing the film, while Cameron MacConomy serves as executive producer.
Billy Ray is writing the script for Sunrise on the Reaping. Ray worked on the screenplay for the first Hunger Games movie, which was released in 2012, and earned an Oscar nomination for penning 2013’s Captain Phillips.
He’s also worked on the scripts for movies such as 1997’s Volcano, 2003’s Shattered Glass (which he also directed), 2004’s Suspect Zero, 2009’s State of Play, 2018’s Overlord, 2019’s Gemini Man, 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate, 2019’s Richard Jewell, and more.