The games are back on — and so is a key player from the franchise’s original success. Billy Ray, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind Captain Phillips, has officially been tapped to pen the screenplay for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The upcoming film, based on Suzanne Collins’ newest bestseller, is set for a worldwide theatrical release on November 20, 2026, 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 first Hunger Games movie 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 with Francis Lawrence, who has become the franchise’s leader after helming Catching Fire, both Mockingjay films, and 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The film will also be produced by Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Color Force, with Cameron MacConomy executive producing. On stage at CinemaCon, where Collider‘s Britta DeVore is in attendance, Lawrence announced that casting has just begun, with plans to begin filming in July. He also noted that Sunrise on the Reaping is his favorite book in the series.

Ray’s return adds some seriously high pedigree to the action-packed prequel. In addition to Captain Phillips, for which he earned his Academy Award nomination, Ray’s credits include Shattered Glass, Richard Jewell, and the upcoming Animals, which is currently in production with Ben Affleck directing. His debut novel Burn the Water will be published by Scholastic Books in March 2026 — just months before Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters.

What Is ‘Sunrise On The Reaping’ About?

Set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteered as tribute, Sunrise on the Reaping centers on a young Haymitch Abernathy (played by Woody Harrelson during 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 the Hunger Games saga, starting with Sunrise on the Reaping, which will open in theaters around the world on November 20, 2026.

via Collider