first-look image from The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Entertainment Featured

Lionsgate Bringing Suzanne Collins’ “Sunrise on the Reaping” to Theaters as 2026 Hunger Games Film

Phyllis Coley @phyllis_coley

The world of Panem is officially returning to the big screen. Lionsgate has announced that Suzanne Collins’ newly revealed novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, will be adapted into a major motion picture, marking the next chapter in the blockbuster $3.3 billion Hunger Games franchise. The film is slated to arrive in theaters on November 20, 2026.

Watch the Trailer

Franchise Powerhouse Returns for Sixth Film

Two young characters sit together in a grassy field with several geese nearby in a first-look scene from The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird and Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. (Photo Credit: Murray Close)

The adaptation will again be led by franchise producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson under the Color Force banner, marking their sixth Hunger Games film since launching the series with Lionsgate in 2012. Director Francis Lawrence, who helmed four previous installments, including Catching Fire and Mockingjay, is in talks to return.

The novel—one of the year’s most anticipated publishing events—was released by Scholastic on March 18, 2025, simultaneously in print, digital, and audio formats across the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

A Return to Panem’s Dark History

Two young characters in worn survival gear crouch in a forest, one aiming a makeshift weapon, in a first-look image from The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy and McKenna Grace as Maysilee Donner in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. (Photo Credit: Murray Close)

Sunrise on the Reaping takes audiences back 24 years before the original Hunger Games story, beginning on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, better known as the Second Quarter Quell. This moment looms large in franchise lore and directly shapes the history leading into the era of Katniss Everdeen.

With more than 100 million copies of the Hunger Games books sold worldwide, translations in 54 languages, and five films grossing over $3.3 billion, the franchise remains one of the most successful literary and cinematic universes of all time.

Legacy and Expansion Across Media

Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Photo (Credit: Murray Close/Courtesy of Lionsgate)

The Hunger Games universe continues to expand globally through theme park attractions, touring experiences, and live events—including The World of The Hunger Games at Motiongate Dubai, and a highly anticipated stage production debuting in London from Olivier Award-winning playwright Conor McPherson and director Matthew Dunster.

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson celebrated Collins’ continued leadership, calling her a “creative north star,” adding that fans will be “spellbound” by her exploration of the legendary Second Quarter Quell.

Author Suzanne Collins echoed the enthusiasm, praising Lionsgate as a “wonderful home” for the franchise.

Production & Rights

Meredith Wieck and Scott O’Brien will oversee production for Lionsgate. The book rights were negotiated by Patricia Laucella and Phil Strina. Collins was represented by Jason Dravis (The Dravis Agency) and attorneys Diane Golden and Sarah Lerner (Katz Golden Lerner LLP).