- Jesse Plemons will play a younger Plutarch Heavensbee
- Plemons and Hoffman once shared the screen as father and son
- “Jesse was the dream from the start” says producer
Jesse Plemons has been chosen to fill the boots of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in the new Hunger Games movie, joining stars Joseph Zada, Whitney Peak and Mckenna Grace.
He’s been cast as Plutarch Heavensbee in the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling prequel novel Sunrise on the Reaping.
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The character was previously played by Hoffman in his final film roles, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Parts 1 and 2.
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Hoffman passed away at the age of 46 from a drug overdose in February 2014. Mockingjay Part 1 was dedicated to his memory. The actor had already filmed the majority of his scenes for Part 2, and his two remaining scenes were rewritten to account for his absence.
Plemons and Hoffman shared the screen previously
Plemons will portray a younger version of Hoffman’s rebellion leader Plutarch Heavensbee. Coincidentally, the two actors previously shared the screen in the Oscar-nominated 2012 drama The Master, where Plemons played Val Dodd, the son of Hoffman’s character, Lancaster Dodd.
In a statement released, Erin Westerman, co-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said “his previous collaboration with Philip Seymour Hoffman makes it all the more special.
Sunrise on the Reaping takes place twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games. It starts on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell.
Plemons, known for his standout character work in Friday Night Lights, Fargo, Breaking Bad, and the Black Mirror episodes USS Callister and USS Callister: Into Infinity, has also appeared in films such as Game Night, The Power of the Dog, Civil War, and the Scorcese flick Killers of the Flower Moon.
He’s also set to star in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, as well as Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming film with Tom Cruise.
Hunger Games execs’ high praise for Plemons
Westerman also stated that Lionsgate are “honored that he has chosen to bring his own take to one of the most fascinating figures in Panem”, adding that “Jesse is one of the most talented actors of his generation, with a proven record of picking his roles selectively”.
Producer Nina Jacobson said “Jesse has been one of my favorite actors since I first saw him in Friday Night Lights. We knew from the start that only an actor’s actor could play a young version of Plutarch. Jesse was the dream from the start and we couldn’t be prouder to have him join the Hunger Games family.”
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, directed by franchise veteran Francis Lawrence, arrives on 20 November 2026.
