Chances are you’ve seen promotion for the November 20 release of Sunrise on the Reaping. The adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s 2025 book of the same name is a prequel set 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games. Taking place during the 50th Hunger Games, it provides the backstory of Haymitch Abernathy, a major figure in the rest of the series.
Although propaganda has been a key theme throughout the blockbuster series, Sunrise puts a laser focus on our modern age of misinformation.
- “I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few,’” Collins said in a statement when the book was first announced back in 2024. “The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day.”
Sophie Hanson at Junkee writes about the repeated discourse that arises online whenever the franchise sees a new adaptation. It’s a worthwhile read, especially for its searing final line: “It’s worth noticing when the way we talk about the story starts to look less like a response to it and more like a scene from it.”
It’s hard not to feel like living in America is living in Panem. But even beyond the ways American politics have all but sent children to a bloody battle for citizen entertainment (err, ignoring The Patriot Games and whatever came of that), the promotional push for Sunrise, as in film adaptations of the franchise before, feels as though we’re in the story itself. Capita(o)lism is the name of the game, and good little consumers–us–flock to the franchise’s offerings. It’s hard not to when pop culture and consumer favorites get the Hunger Games treatment.
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- 🕶️ Taking inspiration from the prequel’s title, Diff eyewear and the film have teamed up to offer four different sunglasses inspired by the lead characters. You can snag ray protection honoring Effie (“iconic and elegant”), Snow (“sleek and structured”), Haymitch (“classic and cool”), or Lenore Dove (“strong and sweet”).
- 💄 Before you don those specs, though, glamorize your eyes with the Stila x Sunrise collaborative makeup offerings (Stila is “the official makeup partner” for the film). Find eyeshadows, eye liner, highlighter, and all-over glitter to create “epic looks.”
- 🧼 And never fear what the people of Panem may smell like. You can know, thanks to the collaboration between Jukebox and Sunrise.
That’s not to touch upon Sunrise on the Reaping’s powerhouse soundtrack, with a who’s who of long-time and contemporary favorites comprising its tracklist. Soundtracks have been gaining in popularity again after falling off in the 2010s, and it’s hard not to see the rumors, speculation, and excitement over Sunrise’s as reminiscent of the excitement of film soundtracks . . . 24 years ago, an era of many of our own origin stories.
This isn’t an indictment of The Hunger Games series or the forthcoming film. Rather, it’s an important reminder of the power of this franchise to YA literature and our culture. The books have long-predicted what’s come to pass in reality. The mirror holds up the mirror, reflecting our reflections to our reflections and back again.
“Hurry,” writes USA Today on the numerous collaborations happening in anticipation of the film. “They could sell out fast. May the odds be ever in your favor.”