The eagerly anticipated prequel film of "The Hunger Games" is gearing up for its grand battle. On Friday, Lionsgate unveiled the first footage from its upcoming feature, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping." The video featured a star-studded cast, including Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier, Ralph Fiennes as President Coriolanus Snow, Lili Taylor as Mags Flanagan, Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy, and Maya Hawke as Wiress.
Directed by Francis Lawrence from a script by Billy Ray, the film adapts author Suzanne Collins' novel and hits theaters on November 20th. It's the latest installment in the franchise that launched with the original "The Hunger Games" in 2012, led by Jennifer Lawrence.
The film also stars an impressive ensemble including Glenn Close, Mckenna Grace, Billy Porter, Ben Wang, Whitney Peak, and Iris Apatow. The book "Sunrise on the Reaping" takes place in Panem on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, 24 years before the events in the first novel published in 2008.
The franchise's first five movies have grossed over $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office, with Lawrence leading the initial four films as Katniss alongside Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne. Late last year, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Lawrence and Hutcherson would reprise their roles in the new movie. Their most recent entry in the franchise was 2015's "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2," which ended with the pair married with children.
Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson produce "Sunrise on the Reaping" for Color Force, while Cameron MacConomy executive produces. The new feature is a sequel to 2023's "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," which starred Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, and Hunter Schafer.
