‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ teaser drops: First look at young Haymitch’s deadliest games yet

The first The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping teaser trailer has arrived, giving fans an early look at Panem like they’ve never seen before.

Lionsgate is dropping just a glimpse of the story one year ahead of the prequel’s official release on November 20, 2026, and it’s already stirring excitement across the franchise’s devoted fanbase.

The trailer focuses on a young Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, on the tense morning of the 50th Hunger Games—also known as the Second Quarter Quell. We see him navigating the deadly arena long before Woody Harrelson’s version appeared in the original movies.

The teaser shows Haymitch’s fighting skills, hinting at a version of Panem where the stakes feel just as high, if not higher, than what audiences remember.

Lionsgate isn’t stopping at the film. Alongside releasing The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping teaser trailer, they’re also launching a stage adaptation in London, expanding a franchise that’s already grossed more than $3.4 billion worldwide.

This prequel promises to dive deeper into the political tension and personal struggles that have always made Panem such a compelling, darkly fascinating world.

The trailer also gives a look at a star-studded cast bringing Suzanne Collins’ prequel to life. Ralph Fiennes embodies Panem’s ruthless dictator, while Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Billy Porter, Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor, and Ben Wang round out the ensemble.

Director Francis Lawrence, working from a screenplay by Billy Ray, clearly wanted the teaser to set the tone for the high stakes and intensity of the full story.

Fans of the franchise will recognize the hallmarks of Panem in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping teaser trailer: the tension of the reaping, the flash of the arena, and glimpses of the characters’ grit and cunning.

It’s a reminder of what made the original films so memorable while promising new layers of storytelling that could reshape the way we see Haymitch and the events that led to the first Hunger Games.

If the teaser is anything to go by, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping isn’t just a prequel—it’s an invitation back to Panem, a chance to experience the dread, drama, and spectacle that made the franchise a cultural phenomenon.

Fans can already start speculating, analyzing, and anticipating the full story, and this first look via the teaser trailer makes it clear the countdown to November 2026 has officially begun.