Moviegoers gain a concrete release window and a first look at a young Haymitch Abernathy after Lionsgate published an action-heavy trailer for The Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping and confirmed it opens in theaters on November 20.
The film continues the franchise story begun in 2023’s Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and is set 24 years before the events of the 2012 original. The trailer centers on a younger Haymitch, portrayed by Joseph Zada, who is thrust into the arena and forced to navigate the brutal spectacle of the 50th Hunger Games. Maysilee Donner, played by Mckenna Grace, is introduced as an important ally, and the competition’s escalating stakes are framed as an opening to the wider rebellion against the Capitol under President Snow, played here by Ralph Fiennes.
The cast list expands the franchise’s familiar roster with Ben Wang as Wyatt and Molly McCann as Louella, Haymitch’s fellow District 12 tributes. Jesse Plemons appears as a young cameraman named Plutarch, Glenn Close plays Drusilla Sickle, Kieran Culkin is a young Caesar Flickerman, and Elle Fanning portrays a young Effie Trinket. Additional casting includes Billy Porter, Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Whitney Peak, and several characters tied to Katniss Everdeen’s lineage, including Burdock Everdeen and Asterid March. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are listed to return as Katniss and Peeta, most likely in a flash-forward cameo that connects this story to the original films.
Separately, stop-motion studio Laika released the first full trailer for Wildwood, following an extended teaser in May that drew more than 90 million views. The new preview pairs lush animation with a cover of Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” and follows 12-year-old Prue McKee, voiced by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, as she searches a magical Wilderness for her baby brother, Mac. Jacob Tremblay voices Curtis, Carey Mulligan voices Alexandra, and the cast includes Angela Bassett, Jake Johnson, Maya Erskine, Mahershala Ali, Jemaine Clement, Awkwafina, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Tom Waits, and others.
Wildwood is scheduled to open on October 23, giving audiences two high-profile genre releases in the fall calendar. Both trailers tighten each film’s marketing timeline and set expectations for how these adaptations will link to existing franchises and source material.
