Original 'Hunger Games' Stars Returning for 2026 Prequel

In a surprising announcement, original Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are returning as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark for the prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, due out next year.

Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson Return to Hunger Games Franchise

Sunrise on the Reaping is based on the most recent novel in Suzanne Collins’ massively popular dystopian franchise. The film will follow the 50th annual Hunger Games, which occurred 24 years before Katniss and Peeta entered the fray. Francis Lawrence, who has helmed four of the five Hunger Games movies, including 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is directing the prequel for Lionsgate. Lawrence is coming off the critical success of The Long Walk, a Hunger Games-esque dystopian thriller based upon Stephen King’s 1979 book of the same name.

Their Involvement Is Described as a 'Cameo'

The exact nature of Lawrence and Hutcherson’s return is being kept mum, but Variety described their return as a “cameo.” In Collins’ novel, Katniss and Peeta appear in a flash-forward epilogue alongside Haymitch Abernathy, played by Woody Harrelson in the original series of films. It’s unclear at this time whether Harrelson will reprise the role, or whether Katniss and Peeta’s reprisal will stray from the source material.

Lawrence and Hutcherson Recently Expressed Willingness to Return

In a recent interview with Variety, Hutcherson made sly reference to the original cast’s return. “I would love to be back on set with Francis, with Jen, with Liam, with Woody [Harrelson],” he said. “It would not take any convincing at all. I’d be there in a heartbeat.” Asked more specifically about the potential epilogue, the actor demurred: “That would be a dream come true,” he said. “Do dreams come true? Sometimes. Sometimes not. Sometimes, yeah.”

Lawrence also expressed to the outlet a willingness to return, saying she was “totally” game to reprise the role of Katniss. “If Katniss ever could ever come back into my life, 100 percent,” she said.

Both Actors Are on a Hot Streak

Sunrise on the Reaping will mark the first time that Lawrence and Hutcherson have appeared in the series since The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2 in 2015. Both are coming off hearty successes, with Lawrence earning rave reviews and awards discussion for Die My Love; and Hutcherson currently dominating the box office with Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.

The actors join a positively stacked cast for the prequel, with a new round of actors stepping in to portray younger versions of fan-favorite characters. Elle Fanning will replace Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket; Ralph Fiennes will replace the late Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth in Songbirds and Snakes; Kieran Culkin replaces Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman; and Jesse Plemons replaces the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee. Also joining the cast are Glenn Close, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, Billy Porter, and Ben Wang.