Jennifer Lawrence is returning to the role that made her a global star. Eleven years after her last appearance as Katniss Everdeen, the actress has opened up about an emotional reunion with Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
The film arrives in cinemas on November 20, taking audiences back to Panem for a story centred on a young Haymitch Abernathy.
An emotional reunion behind the scenes
Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Lawrence described slipping back into Katniss’s world as “unbelievable.”
Familiar crew members helped make the experience feel like a homecoming. So did reuniting with Hutcherson, who plays Peeta Mellark, and Harrelson, the original Haymitch.
Lawrence recalled staying close to Hutcherson throughout their time together on set. Harrelson brought his own familiar chaos, apparently arriving through her hotel room window without an invitation — an anecdote she shared affectionately.
Haymitch’s story takes centre stage
While the returning actors reconnect the film with the original series, Joseph Zada leads the prequel as young Haymitch.
Set 24 years before the first Hunger Games, the story begins on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell. It follows Haymitch’s experience as a District 12 tribute, long before he becomes Katniss and Peeta’s mentor.
Francis Lawrence directs the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s novel, with a screenplay by Billy Ray. The cast also includes Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Jesse Plemons, Kieran Culkin and Maya Hawke.
How Katniss fits into the prequel
Collins’s novel ends with a flash-forward epilogue featuring Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch, offering a possible explanation for the original trio’s appearance. The precise details of their scene have yet to be confirmed.
Lawrence led four Hunger Games films between 2012 and 2015 and had previously expressed enthusiasm about returning if the right opportunity emerged.
This time, her return accompanies a new lead and an earlier chapter of Panem’s history, bringing familiar faces into a story that belongs to Haymitch.
