New Hunger Games film to trace Haymitch Abernathy's origins

The sixth film in The Hunger Games franchise will explore how Haymitch Abernathy, the hardened mentor of Katniss Everdeen in the original series, became the man audiences first met. Titled The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the film is scheduled for release on November 20.

Based on Suzanne Collins' 2025 novel of the same name, the movie sits between The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and the original Hunger Games. It follows the annual contest in which children, known as tributes, are forced to fight to the death in the dystopian nation of Panem.

Joseph Zada plays the younger Haymitch, a role Woody Harrelson portrayed in the first four films. The cast also includes Jesse Plemons, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Mckenna Grace and Glenn Close.

Director Francis Lawrence, who has helmed earlier entries in the series, described the shoot as a major undertaking, particularly in keeping the young cast safe on set. Producer Nina Jacobson said the production was chaotic at times because this instalment doubles the usual number of tributes to 48, each requiring a stunt double.

Much of the filming took place in Spain's Asturias region, which Jacobson called the most remote location she has worked in, with little infrastructure on hand. The story traces Haymitch's shift from an optimistic teenager to the brash alcoholic seen in later films, a transformation Lawrence said demands a great deal from a young actor.