Sunrise on the Reaping Casts Its Plutarch Heavensbee
by Bethy Squires · VULTUREHe’s camera-ready in more ways than one. Per Deadline, Lionsgate’s Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping has cast Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee. You might remember the character as the future Head Gamemaker and rebel played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman (who happened to star as Plemons’s on-screen dad in The Master). But in Suzanne Collins’s novel about the Second Quarter Quell, Heavensbee is a cameraman who has come to record the reaping of tributes from District 12. Here, what to know about this upcoming film, from who’s writing the script to who’s joining the cast that Heavensbee will be catching on Capitol cam.
What is it about?
Sunrise on the Reaping tells the story of Haymitch Abernathy’s games, the Second Quarter Quell. The OG trilogy depicts Katniss watching these games during her training, but the details were fleshed out in a new novel from Suzanne Collins. Spoiler: it’s a bad time!
Who’s in the cast?
Sorry to the Mike Faist stans, but someone else will be playing Yung Woody in the Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping. Entertainment Weekly reports that Joseph Zada will star as Haymitch in the film about the Second Quarter Quell. Before stepping into Haymitch’s britches, Zada will star in the Amazon series We Were Liars opposite Mamie Gummer. He’ll also appear opposite Twitter’s choice for Haymitch, Faist, in Zoe Kazan’s adaptation of East of Eden.
The other big reveal is who’s playing Haymitch’s lost lady love Lenore Dove Baird. The rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore will be played by Gossip Girl reboot star Whitney Peak. Peak also appeared on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and is a global ambassador for Chanel.
Mckenna Grace will also play Haymitch’s fellow District 12 tribute. But that doesn’t mean that District 12 is covered — the Second Quarter Quell notably doubled the regular amount of tributes sent, which means that District 12 still has to produce two other tributes. With extra reaping to do for each district, Lionsgate’s casting team must be working overtime.
Who else is involved?
Oscar-nominated screenwriter Billy Ray is writing the script. Ray is responsible for the screenplay for the first Hunger Games movie. More recently, he also wrote Nicole Kidman’s so-true “heartbreak feels good in a place like this” AMC ad. Talk about range!
According to Deadline, Francis Lawrence — who directed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and every Hunger Games movie except the franchise’s first installment — is returning to direct this project.
When is Sunrise on the Reaping coming out?
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will come to theaters November 20, 2026.