Trailer reveals a young Haymitch in the ruthless Second Quarter Quell featuring double the tributes
The first trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping has dropped, and it does not shy away from the brutality of Panem’s deadliest spectacle. The film travels back to the era of a young Haymitch Abernathy, charting the origins of the grizzled mentor we know, as he participates in a merciless edition of the Games.
Veteran director Francis Lawrence returns to the franchise to bring Suzanne Collins’ second prequel novel to the big screen, and the teaser makes it clear this will be no gentle walk through memory lane. Joseph Zada stars as Haymitch, stepping into the role once inhabited by Woody Harrelson. The story unfolds during the fiftieth Hunger Games, infamously known as the Second Quarter Quell a Games that doubles the number of tributes and promises twice as much violence.
The trailer opens with sweeping views of the Capitol and visuals of the arena that evoke both spectacle and dread. As the scenes progress, the footage increasingly emphasises the darker nature of this particular Games. The Second Quarter Quell is not just a competition but a nightmarish conflict in which young tributes are forced into deadly alliances and betrayals. The narrative, even in these first glimpses, suggests that Haymitch will be tested not only physically but mentally.
Alongside Zada, a star-studded cast brings this chapter of Panem’s history to life. Ralph Fiennes takes on the role of Coriolanus Snow, Elle Fanning is Effie Trinket, and Jesse Plemons plays Plutarch Heavensbee. The ensemble also includes Kelvin Harrison Jr, Glenn Close, Maya Hawke, Mckenna Grace, Billy Porter, Whitney Peak, Ben Wang, Molly McCann, Iona Bell and Percy Daggs IV. Each character adds depth and intrigue, layering the arena drama with political subplots and entrenched power struggles.
One particularly striking moment unfolds in the trailer’s final shots, where Woody Harrelson’s older Haymitch makes his presence known in voice only. Whether this hint means he will appear in a framing narrative or merely haunts the memory of his younger self remains unclear, but the choice underscores the continuity between the original trilogy and this prequel.
The teaser does not shy away from violence. In one sequence, tributes fall, alliances shatter, and the ruthlessness of the Games comes fully into focus. It feels as though every frame carries the weight of past horrors, even as it sets up new ones. The direction, score, and cinematography all lean into the horror that underlies the glamour of Panem’s televised carnage.
Set twenty four years before Katniss Everdeen’s defiant rise and forty years after Lucy Gray’s appearance in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the film promises a compelling look at how Haymitch transformed from a young competitor into the cynic he later becomes. That transformation, hinted at in the trailer, feels inevitable and deeply earned.
Fans of the books and the franchise will also appreciate the careful attention to canon. The Second Quarter Quell is a well-known turning point in the lore, and the trailer leverages that history to build tension. It gives us glimpses of how political machinations, media spectacle, and raw survival instinct all collide in a Games that feels more dangerous than ever.
As for timing, the film is slated for release on 20 November 2026. The trailer’s arrival now gives audiences plenty of time to speculate, theorise and brace themselves for what comes next in the world of Panem. If this glimpse is anything to go by, Sunrise On The Reaping will deliver on both spectacle and heart-wrenching violence.
For those who have followed Haymitch’s journey from reluctant victor to mentor, this prequel looks set to fill in some of the darkest chapters of his past. And if the trailer is accurate, the odds are not just ever in our favour — they are terrifyingly stacked against peace.