The Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which was released last year, wasn’t exactly the hit that Lionsgate Films expected it to be. In spite of that, the studio is pushing forward with another prequel project, Sunrise on the Reaping, and casting news has begun to come in.
According to an Instagram post from the official Hunger Games account, Jesse Plemons has been cast as a young Plutarch Heavensbee, the character originally portrayed by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original Hunger Games films.
This casting choice carries special significance, as Plemons previously worked with Hoffman in Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master, where Plemons played the son of Hoffman’s cult leader character.
A post shared by The Hunger Games (@thehungergames)
“Jesse is one of the most talented actors of his generation, with a proven record of picking his roles selectively,” said Erin Westerman, co-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “We are honored that he has chosen to bring his own take to one of the most fascinating figures in Panem and feel that his previous collaboration with Philip Seymour Hoffman makes it all the more special.”
In this prequel, Plutarch isn’t yet the Head Gamemaker or rebellion leader fans know from the original series but instead works as a cameraman recording the District 12 reaping.
Joining Plemons in the cast are
- Joseph Zada as young Haymitch Abernathy (previously played by Woody Harrelson)
- Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s girlfriend who is described as having a voice “as soft and haunting as moonlight”
- McKenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, a fellow District 12 tribute with connections to the famous Mockingjay pin
Set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s story, Sunrise on the Reaping will follow a 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy during the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
Francis Lawrence, who directed Catching Fire, both Mockingjay films, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, will return to work on this latest installment. Lawrence has previously stated that Sunrise on the Reaping is his “favorite” of the Hunger Games books and promises the film will be a “return to form” from the original films.
Production on Sunrise on the Reaping is already underway, with the film slated for release on November 20, 2026.
