Another familiar face has stepped into Panem. Maya Hawke is the latest actor to be added to the growing cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the prequel film set decades before Katniss Everdeen first took the spotlight. The news was shared via the franchise’s official Instagram account, confirming Hawke’s role as Wiress, an unconventional but brilliant former tribute from District 3.
Fans of the franchise will recognize Wiress from Catching Fire, where she was previously played by Amanda Plummer. In Sunrise on the Reaping, Wiress will serve as a mentor to tributes from District 12, bringing a mix of intellect and eccentricity to the story, which takes place 24 years before the original films. This time around, the focus shifts to a young Haymitch Abernathy, years before he became the hardened victor we know.
Hawke, best known for her role as Robin Buckley in Netflix’s Stranger Things, is stepping into a very different kind of arena. Her casting follows a string of high-profile additions to the prequel’s ensemble, including Jesse Plemons, McKenna Grace, and Kelvin Harrison Jr., signaling director Francis Lawrence’s commitment to assembling a powerhouse cast.
Joseph Zada, a relative newcomer, will play the younger version of Haymitch, originally played by Woody Harrelson. McKenna Grace takes on the role of Maysilee Donner, another District 12 tribute, while Whitney Peak joins the cast as Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s romantic counterpart. “Stranger things have happened,” the official account joked, nodding to Hawke’s breakout role.
Elsewhere, Jesse Plemons plays Plutarch Heavensbee in a younger incarnation of the gamemaker-turned-rebel once played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Kelvin Harrison Jr. is set to play Beetee, and Lili Taylor has been confirmed as Mags, the District 4 mentor, ending weeks of speculation.
Set for release on November 20, 2026, Sunrise on the Reaping is the sixth film in the franchise and follows on the heels of 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which brought in $349 million globally. With the Capitol’s gears turning once again, audiences can prepare for another brutal, politically-charged entry into Suzanne Collins’ world.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
You may also like
-
‘True Detective’ Duo Reunite Matthew McConaughey and Nic Pizzolatto Will Tackle a Mike Hammer Adaptation
-
James Gunn and David Corenswet Talk Superman’s Trunks—and Why Everyone Knows He’s an Alien
-
‘Echo Valley’ Hits Apple TV+ Today A Twisted Tale of Loyalty and Secrets Starring Sydney Sweeney
-
Director Kevin Williamson Opens Up on the Fallout from Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega Leaving ‘Scream 7’
-
‘Titan: The OceanGate Disaster’ Netflix Documentary Tracks 10 Years of Warnings and Mistakes