Sunrise on the Reaping Explores Haymitch's Fight Against the Capitol

The struggle against Panem's authoritarian Capitol takes center stage in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the second prequel to the franchise, which follows the experiences of a young Haymitch Abernathy during the 50th Hunger Games. Directed by Francis Lawrence, the upcoming film explores the personal cost of resistance and the determination to continue fighting despite the possibility that change may take generations.

The story follows the events of 2023's The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and focuses on a particularly brutal edition of the televised competition. According to the source report published by Empire on October 20, 2026, the 50th Hunger Games features a Quarter Quell that selects twice the usual number of tributes, intensifying the deadly challenge facing its participants.

Haymitch's journey also provides context for the troubled man audiences encounter decades later in the original Hunger Games saga. Woody Harrelson portrayed the older Haymitch, a former victor struggling with alcoholism, while Joseph Zada takes on the character during his younger years.

Zada explained that his interpretation would emphasize the character's earlier personality and distinguish it from Harrelson's established performance.

"His whole persona is the stick-it-to-the-man thing," said Joseph Zada, who plays the young Haymitch.

The actor highlighted the contrast between the rebellious young man and the damaged individual seen later in the franchise, describing the challenge of portraying the character at a different stage of life.

"This is a completely different person at a very different part of their lives," he explained.

Zada also discussed his intention to establish a clear distinction between the two versions of Haymitch rather than simply imitate the earlier portrayal.

"I wanted to try and make a very big contrast between the two," he said.

Lawrence, who returns to direct the prequel, emphasized that the broader story extends beyond the immediate outcome of the Hunger Games. The franchise depicts resistance as a long-term struggle in which individual actions can contribute to political change even when the results remain distant.

"You have to be a part of something and have your voice heard, no matter what side you're on," said Francis Lawrence, the returning director.

He connected that principle to the possibility that meaningful change may not arrive within a single person's lifetime, placing the characters' actions within a longer history of resistance.

"And you have to do it not necessarily expecting instant gratification. That change has to start, but it may not happen for generations. It may not happen in our lifetimes, but we're all part of a continuum, and you need to speak up," Lawrence said.

According to Lawrence, the central theme of Haymitch's story is the decision to persist despite the consequences and uncertainty surrounding the fight against the Capitol.

"It's the choice to keep fighting," Lawrence said.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to arrive in UK cinemas on November 20, 2026. Empire's full feature on the film is scheduled for publication in its Dune: Part Three issue, which goes on sale Thursday, October 22, 2026.