Elle Fanning Transforms Into Young Effie in First Sunrise on the Reaping Trailer
Hunger Games fever ignites again as Lionsgate drops a new Sunrise on the Reaping trailer Monday, April 13, delivering a first full look at Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Maya Hawke as Wiress and Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee.
We finally have a real look at the next Hunger Games movie, and it is not shy about what it is selling: Haymitch Abernathy bleeding for survival, a stacked cast swinging for the fences, and a nasty little history lesson about Panem that fans have been waiting on for years.
The new trailer: who shows up and what it teases
Lionsgate dropped a fresh trailer on Monday, April 13, and it is our first full look at some big character reveals: Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Kieran Culkin stepping into Caesar Flickerman territory, Maya Hawke as Wiress, and Jesse Plemons taking on Plutarch Heavensbee. Ralph Fiennes also turns up as President Coriolanus Snow, which feels exactly as ominous as it sounds.
Front and center is Joseph Zada as a young Haymitch Abernathy, dragged into the 50th Hunger Games, better known to lore nerds as the Second Quarter Quell. That special edition hits every 25 years and, because the Capitol has no chill, it doubles the tributes from each District. The trailer leans hard into the brutality of that setup and Haymitch’s reluctance to just be another pawn.
"I’m sick of living in fear. Just surviving. We’re not animals to be killed for their entertainment. "
Snow, of course, counters with pure menace in voiceover, promising an opening bloodbath and the longest, ugliest death Panem has ever seen if anyone steps out of line. And yes, Effie’s charm offensive is already in place: after someone calls her brilliant, she flashes a smile and admits, "I confess to having a moment."
Cast and crew snapshot
- Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy
- Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket
- Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman
- Maya Hawke as Wiress
- Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee
- Ralph Fiennes as President Coriolanus Snow
- Also in the ensemble: McKenna Grace, Ben Wang, Whitney Peak, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lili Taylor, and Glenn Close
- Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are expected to show up as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark
- Directed by Francis Lawrence
Where this fits in the timeline
'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' is adapted from Suzanne Collins’ 2025 novel and rewinds the clock 24 years before the original story. The film kicks off on the morning the reaping selects contestants for the 50th Games, the Second Quarter Quell. Quick refresher while we are here: the saga is set in Panem, a post-apocalyptic North America split between a wealthy Capitol and 12 exploited districts, and the Hunger Games are the Capitol’s televised bloodsport that forces teenagers to kill each other for the nation’s entertainment.
The franchise itself goes back to 2008 with Collins’ original trilogy — The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay — and it now includes two prequels: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and this one, Sunrise on the Reaping.
Zada on stepping into Haymitch’s shoes
Taking over a role Woody Harrelson made iconic is not exactly low pressure. Zada told Polyester magazine in 2025 that he was both thrilled and scared to dive in, joking that it felt like he was the tribute and the viewers were the Capitol watching to see if he would ever act again. He also called the cast incredible and said he could not wait for everyone to see who else pops up.
The date to circle
'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' hits theaters on November 20. Given the trailer, expect something that is both a prequel and a gut punch — and yes, that cast is as wild on screen as it looks on paper.