Skip to main content

New Hunger Games movie based on Suzanne Collins’s next novel set for 2026

A man puts his arms on the shoulder of a woman as he stands in front of her.
Lionsgate

The Hunger Games will return in two years. Lionsgate announced that a new Hunger Games prequel movie, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reapingwill arrive in 2026. The feature film news comes hours after Suzanne Collins revealed that her next Hunger Games novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, will be released in 2025.

Francis Lawrence, the director of four Hunger Games films, is in talks to directColor Force’s Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson will produce Sunrise on the Reaping.

“From the beginning, Lionsgate has been a wonderful home and partner for the Hunger Games franchise, and I’m very excited to be collaborating with Adam and the team as we bring this next story to theaters in 2026,” Suzanne Collins said in a statement.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be set 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games. The story begins in Panem on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, better known as the Second Quarter Quell. Two boys and two girls from each district compete in the Quarter Quell. The 48 tributes are twice the amount that compete in a normal Hunger Games.

Haymitch Abernathy of District 12 won the Second Quarter Quell. Years later, Haymitch mentored District 12’s Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark to victory in the 74th Hunger Games. Woody Harrelson starred as Haymitch in the feature films.

Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray stand near a fence in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Murray Close / Lionsgate

Sunrise on the Reaping becomes the sixth film in the Hunger Games franchise. The first four films starred Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, the girl from District 12 who won the Hunger Games and became one of the leading forces in the uprising against the Capitol. Released from 2012 to 2015, the first four Hunger Games films combined to gross nearly $3 billion at the worldwide box office.

In November 2023, Lionsgate released the fifth movie in the franchise, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. The prequel starred Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow. Years before becoming president of Panem, Snow mentored Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) from District 12 ahead of the 10th Hunger Games. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes grossed over $337 million on a budget of $100 million.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be published on March 18, 2025. The movie will premiere in theaters on November 20, 2026.

Editors' Recommendations

Dan Girolamo
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
This Sling TV deal gets you a month of Starz for $5
Sling TV on a TV.

Sign up for Sling today and you can not only get $20 off on your first month but also get a month of Starz for just $5. Sling TV deals right now are pretty special with this one certainly shining through. If you’re keen to learn more about this offer, you can either tap the button below or read on while we guide you through everything you need to know.

Why you should sign up to Sling and Starz
Sling is one of the best live TV streaming services around due to its wealth of channel options and fantastic value for money. When signing up, you have the option of signing up for Sling Orange or Sling Blue. We’ve broken down the differences between Sling Orange and Sling Blue. To simplify it, bear in mind that channels like Disney Channel and ESPN are only on Sling Orange with MSNBC and Fox are only viewable through Sling Blue. If you need to stream across multiple devices at the same time, you’ll need Sling Blue as that works on up to three devices at once while Sling Orange is just one device at a time.

Read more
Video game adaptation Watch Dogs finds its two lead stars
A man with blonde hair and a red suit stands and stares.

After his breakout role as Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Tom Blyth has found his next big project. Per Deadline, Blyth has been cast in Watch Dogs, New Regency's adaptation of the beloved Ubisoft video game series. Blyth will star opposite Sophie Wilde, the Australian actress who headlined A24's Talk to Me.

Mathieu Turi, the director of The Deep Dark and Meander, will direct Watch Dogs based on an original draft from Christie LeBlanc, with revisions by Victoria Bata. Watch Dogs stems from New Regency and will be produced by its Chairman and CEO Yariv Milchan and Natalie Lehmann, president of motion pictures and television. Margaret Boykin, head of content at Ubisoft Film & Television, will also produce.

Read more
Get a month of Paramount+ for $5 with this Sling TV deal
App icons for Paramount Plus and Showtime.

Paramount+, which offers a long list of original series and blockbuster movies for you to watch on your smart TV, is available from Sling TV deals for only $5 for your first month instead of $10. This add-on for your Sling TV subscription won't stay this cheap for long though -- in fact, there's a chance that the $5 discount will disappear as soon as tomorrow. If you're interested in taking advantage of this reduced price, you're going to have to sign up for it immediately.

Why you should sign up for Paramount+
Paramount+, as an add-on for your Sling TV subscription, will also allow you to access shows and movies from Showtime. Some of the popular original series from the network include Mayor of Kingston, Halo, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. For June, new movies that have been added to the service include 10 Cloverfield Lane, American Beauty, Galaxy Quest, and Shutter Island. If you want something more from Sling TY beyond live TV programs, signing up for Paramount+ will give you a massive library of content for the whole family to consume.

Read more