Every few years a novel franchise becomes a sensation, and is quickly given a book to screen adaptation. Case in point: the Hunger Games movies, which have returned to theaters thanks to Suzanne Collins’ prequel books. The most recent of these is Haymitch’s prequel Sunrise on the Reaping, which is already being developed into a movie. And fans have a theory about the forthcoming movie that I hope comes true.
What we know about Sunrise on the Reaping is limited, but it’s expected to be a faithful adaptation of the novel of the same name. While it’s cast is coming together, a fan on TikTok posited an interesting question about its production design. It reads:
Since we got a 1950s-ish era in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will we get a 1970s-ish era in Sunrise at the Reaping?
Honestly, sign me up. I loved the retro look of Songbirds and Snakes, and it should be interesting to see how the tech and look of Panem changes in the decades that pass before Sunrise on the Reaping. If the fictional country is following the real world, then maybe we’ll get some ’70s fashion in the dystopian prequel.
The tech and styling in Songbirds and Snakes was definitely inspired by the 1950s, and it was fascinating to see how bare-bones the Hunger Games were in the early days. The ending of Songbirds and Snakes saw Snow take power as a game maker, so things should presumably look more familiar in Haymitch’s prequel.
Those of us who read Sunrise on the Reaping are buckling up for a grueling movie experience… even if the production design ends up inspired by the 1970s. Haymitch’s story of being chosen for the Hunger Games is a tragic one, and the game itself is always one full of loss and despair. And it should be fascinating to see how its brought to life on the screen, especially since fans think SOTR is better than the Songbirds and Snakes book.
While it remains to be seen what Sunrise on the Reaping looks like, the movie is in active development. The cast is coming together, where a number of actors will have to play younger version of beloved characters. While we wait to find out who is playing Woody Harrelson‘s protagonist Haymitch, Jesse Plemons was cast as Plutarch, a role made famous by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the original films. And more recently Kelvin Harrison Jr. was cast a young Beeetee, taking on the mantle of the role from the great Jeffrey Wright.
Sunrise on the Reaping is currently expected to arrive in theaters on November 20th, 2026, so it’s not part of the 2025 movie release list. We’ll just have to wait for more news about its growing cast.