- New film will be based on Suzanne Collins’ latest novel
- Set 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games saga
- Character from the original Hunger Games trilogy will be the focus of the movie
Good news for Hunger Games fans – a new prequel movie will be coming to theaters in late 2026, telling the story of a leading figure in the original trilogy of films.
Pivotal moment in history
The new film will be based on ‘Sunrise of the Reaping’, a novel that series creator Suzanne Collins is currently writing and is set to be published next year. The release date for the film has been set – November 20, 2026.
This new story is set 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, and 40 years after The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and will focus on Haymitch Abernathy and his competition in the 50th Hunger Games – also known as the Second Quarter Quell, an incident that becomes a legendary part of Hunger Games history. Fans of the series will know that Abernathy mentored Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark during the 74th Hunger Games. In the original trilogy of films, Abernathy was played by Woody Harrelson.
It has been confirmed that Francis Lawrence, who has directed every film in the series since Catching Fire is in talks to direct again. As yet, no actors have been confirmed to star in the film.
Hunger for films
Last year’s Hunger Games prequel, ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ showed that the appetite for stories from the dystopia of Panem had not diminished as it grossed $337 million at the box office.
So far, the four films in the Hunger Games franchise have grossed more than $3.3 billion at the global box office.
