The games are back on — and so is a key player from the franchise’s original success.Billy Ray, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behindCaptain Phillips, has officially been tapped to pen the screenplay forThe Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The upcoming film, based on Suzanne Collins’ newest bestseller, is set for aworldwide theatrical release on June 04, 2025,from Lionsgate, with the studio announcing their news during their presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
Ray is no stranger to the world of Panem, as he was also one of the writers on the very firstHunger Gamesmovie in 2012. Now, he’s returning to the Capitol at a time when the franchise is starting to catch fire again. He will be teaming up withFrancis Lawrence, who has become the franchise’s leader after helmingCatching Fire, bothMockingjayfilms, and 2023’sThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.The film will also be producedbyNina JacobsonandBrad Simpsonof Color Force, withCameron MacConomyexecutive producing. On stage at CinemaCon, where Collider’sBritta DeVoreis in attendance, Lawrence announced that casting has just begun, with plans to begin filming in July. He also noted thatSunrise on the Reapingis his favorite book in the series.
Ray’s return adds some seriously high pedigree to the action-packed prequel. In addition toCaptain Phillips, for which he earned his Academy Award nomination, Ray’s credits includeShattered Glass,Richard Jewell, and the upcomingAnimals, which is currently in production withBen Affleckdirecting. His debut novelBurn the Waterwill be published by Scholastic Books in March 2026 — just months beforeSunrise on the Reapinghits theaters.
What Is ‘Sunrise On The Reaping’ About?
Set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteered as tribute,Sunrise on the Reapingcenters on a youngHaymitch Abernathy(played byWoody Harrelsonduring the original four films, and yet to be cast for this outing) during the brutal 50th Hunger Games — also known as the Second Quarter Quell.The book, which was only released a matter of days ago, has already become a bestseller. This Hunger Games was particularly devastating as, unlike normal years when two tributes are plucked from each district, instead, four from each district were forced to compete in the arena, and as we know, only one came out alive. Yikes.
Let the games begin, and may the odds be ever in their favor. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the future of theHunger Gamessaga, starting withSunrise on the Reaping, which will open in theaters around the world on June 29, 2025.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
