Hunger Games Prequel: Release Date and Cast Details

Jennifer Lawrence is returning to the Hunger Games franchise for the upcoming prequel film.

The movie, titled In Sunrise on the Reaping, opens in theaters on November 20. Lawrence confirmed her participation as Katniss Everdeen in a conversation with Alex Cooper, host of the Call Her Daddy podcast. She also verified that Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson are in the cast. All three actors had been rumored to be involved for some time prior to this confirmation.

Lawrence described the production experience as familiar. She stated that the same crew, camera operators, and assistant directors worked on the new film as they did on the original series. "It was the same crew. It was the same camera guys, the same AD, who I've worked with a million times," she said. She characterized the reunion with Hutcherson and Harrelson as emotional. She noted that she and Hutcherson often kept their arms around each other on set. "It was so beautiful," she said. Harrelson reportedly entered her hotel room through the window rather than the door. Lawrence joked that it would not be the same if he listened to boundaries and used the door.

Lawrence also discussed a past incident regarding her appearance. In 2013, she cut her hair into a pixie style after producers initially declined to provide a wig for Mockingjay. She was tired of dyeing her hair brown for the role. She described the haircut as "the worst haircut anyone has ever seen in their life." The style later became well known.

In Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the original film. The plot follows 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy as he competes in the 50th Hunger Games. This specific event is known as the Second Quarter Quell. The rules require twice as many tributes as usual to fight to the death. Joseph Zada portrays the young Haymitch. Ralph Fiennes appears as President Snow. Characters from the original films are expected to appear in flashforwards or a framing device.