Oscar-winning actor Jennifer Lawrence has confirmed her return to the role of Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming prequel “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” ending months of speculation about her involvement in the billion-dollar cinematic franchise.
Speaking on an episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast released Wednesday, Lawrence revealed that she filmed scenes alongside original co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson for the upcoming Lionsgate release, marking her first appearance as the heroine in 11 years.
“It was unbelievable,” Lawrence said during the podcast appearance, describing the experience as “crazy” and “so emotional.” Lawrence added that returning to the production felt familiar because key members of the original technical crew were on set. “It was the same crew, it was the same camera guys, the same AD who I’ve worked with a million times,” she said.
Reuniting the original cast
Lawrence noted that her reunion with Hutcherson, who portrayed Peeta Mellark, was deeply affectionate. “Josh and I didn’t walk to the bathroom without our arms around each other,” Lawrence said on the podcast. She also joked about Harrelson, who played mentor Haymitch Abernathy in the first four movies, saying he climbed through her hotel window uninvited because he rarely pays attention to standard boundaries.
Though reports first surfaced in December that Lawrence and Hutcherson had shot material for the production, their exact involvement had not been publicly verified by the actors. Variety previously reported that Harrelson would also participate in the production, which adapts Suzanne Collins’ novel of the same name. In the book, a flash-forward epilogue depicts older versions of Haymitch, Katniss and Peeta discussing the past.
Lawrence did not attend the movie’s premiere held Wednesday in London, the New York Post reported. However, several members of the new ensemble walked the red carpet, including Glenn Close, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Jesse Plemons, Mckenna Grace, Kelly Rutherford, Ralph Fiennes and Joseph Zada.
A box office powerhouse returns
Directed by returning franchise filmmaker Francis Lawrence, “Sunrise on the Reaping” centers primarily on the 50th Hunger Games, set 24 years before Katniss first volunteered as tribute. Zada portrays the young Haymitch Abernathy as he fights to survive the lethal tournament.
The return represents a major milestone for Lionsgate’s flagship property. Across five prior installments—the original four films released between 2012 and 2015 and the 2023 prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”—the franchise has grossed $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office, Variety reported.
During the podcast, Lawrence reflected on the hesitations she experienced before originally accepting the career-defining role when she was 20 years old. She noted that observing the intense public frenzy surrounding the “Twilight” franchise made her anxious about the loss of privacy and how mega-budget blockbusters might steer her career away from smaller independent films and personal goals.
“Sunrise on the Reaping” is scheduled to arrive in movie theaters on Nov. 20, 2026. The full extent of Lawrence’s screen time alongside Hutcherson and Harrelson remains under wraps until audiences see the final cut next month.
