The next Hunger Games prequel has reportedly found its young Haymitch. Nearly a year after the release of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, fans eagerly anticipate the Sunrise on the Reaping which is slated to hit cinemas in 2026. Now, it appears that the project is already on the lookout for its main cast.
New Hunger Games Prequel Reportedly Finds Its Lead
Back in June, The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins announced she would be releasing Haymitch Abernathy's (played by Woody Harrelson in the original film franchise) story in a new novel titled Sunrise on the Reaping by 2025.
Soon enough, Sunrise on the Reaping is already confirmed to get a movie adaptation ahead of its novel debut.
As if things aren't going through smoothly enough for yet another prequel story, a new report claimed that they already have their eyes set on Challengers star Mike Faist to lead The Reaping.
It is worth noting to take this news with a pinch of salt, as nothing has been confirmed yet. However, Production Weekly is a known source to share accurate casting intel in the past.
Considering that Sunrise on the Reaping is set 40 years after The Ballad, a young Haymitch meant portraying the character through a younger actor who has yet to face the tragedy Haymitch did in his backstory.
In this case, the Grammy and Cannes Film Festival-winning actor Faist is being eyed to portray the Haymitch version before he even trained the likes of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.
Faist is best known for his words in Wilding, The Atlantic City Story, and West Side Story, but most recently in playing Art Donaldson alongside Zendaya's Tashi in the American sports drama flick Challengers.
Again, nothing has been confirmed yet, but it's curious to see how Faist's take would affect fans' perspective on the young Haymitch.
To refresh your memory, Sunrise on the Reaping is set during the Second Quarter Quell, which took place 24 years before Katniss's The Hunger Games.
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Suzanne Collins' Sunrise on the Reaping novel is slated for a March 18, 2025 release, while the flick is due November 20, 2026.
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The Hunger Games