Hunger Games' OG Star Gives Official Verdict On Sunrise On The Reaping Replacements

Published Nov 1, 2026, 11:57 AM EST Hannah Gearan (she/her) is has been writing for ScreenRant for over three years. Her deep cinema love traces back to age 11, when she equipped herself with a spiral-bound notebook, rated all the films she watched, and declared herself a critic. About a decade later, she received a BA from Wesleyan University, where she studied Film, Environmental Studies, and Writing. Hannah’s short film, Toxic Faucets, has screened at numerous film festivals, including the Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston). As a Movie News writer now, she draws upon her vast experience studying, making, and analyzing film as she approaches dynamic breaking stories. The odds are ever in the favor of these new Hunger Games stars. The Hunger Games returns this month with the release of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Based on the bestselling Suzanne Collins novel of the same name, the prequel film features many of the characters readers and audiences know and love from the original trilogy during the Second Quarter Quell, which takes place nearly a quarter-century before the events of the first Hunger Games. The movie stars Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Maya Hawke as Wiress, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch, Joseph Zada as Haymitch, and Mckenna Grace as new lead Maysilee Donner. Speaking with Variety, original franchise star Elizabeth Banks weighs in on her thoughts on The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Banks called the film "amazing." She especially praised the acting, noting that star Zada is "fantastic" in the movie. Check out the full quote from Banks below: "I've seen the film and it's amazing. I'm so excited. All I can tell you is it's great, and Joseph [Zada] is a perfect Woody Harrelson. Perfect. He's fantastic, I can't wait for people to see it." Calling the movie "amazing" is high praise coming from Banks, whose performance as Effie Trinket is applauded as one of the most iconic performances in the series. With extravagant outfits, critical franchise catchphrases, and a growing horror at the events going on in the Capitol, Effie is an emblem of the series. By the look of the Sunrise on the Reaping trailers, Effie's style 24 years before the first movie is no less flamboyant, but the character's recognizability puts the pressure on Fanning even further. Ultimately, though, it is Zada who has the biggest pressure on him going into The Hunger Games prequel film. Haymitch, who later serves as a mentor for Katniss in the main films, takes the lead role in Sunrise on the Reaping, participating in the dreaded Quarter Quell. Readers know how things ultimately go for Haymitch, who becomes the a second ever Hunger Games winner from District 12, but this makes his drama almost more suspenseful as he goes through life, love, and loss as a teenager in this dystopian society. Unlike Oscar-nominated counterparts like Plemons, Fanning, or Kieran Culkin, Zada is a relative unknown. Prior to landing the Hunger Games film, the 21-year-old Zada has only been in two feature films. This fact puts him in the most compromised position, as his performance makes or breaks the movie but he does not have existing star power to rest on. As such, the initial review from a former franchise star like Banks is even more crucial for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and signs are looking positive so far. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Release Date November 20, 2026 Runtime 150 Minutes Director Francis Lawrence Writers Billy Ray, Michael Lesslie, Suzanne Collins Cast Joseph Zada Haymitch Abernathy Whitney Peak Lenore Dove Baird