The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Introduces Joseph Zada as Young Haymitch Abernathy
Lionsgate unveiled its first look at young Haymitch Abernathy in the upcoming prequel film "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping," scheduled for release on November 20. A promotional featurette released on July 4 introduces actor Joseph Zada as the victor of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, marking the character's first appearance before the events of the main trilogy.
The "Meet Haymitch" featurette explores the origin story of the mentor character familiar to audiences from the primary Hunger Games films, where Woody Harrelson portrayed the adult version. By chronicling Haymitch's backstory through the Second Quarter Quell, the prequel offers insight into the circumstances that shaped the character central to the original narrative.
- Joseph Zada cast as young Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games prequel launching November 20
- Promotional featurette released July 4 provides first look at the character's origins
- Film depicts the 50th Hunger Games competition where Haymitch became victor
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The Hunger Games is a series of dystopian novels by Suzanne Collins, later turned into a hugely successful run of Hollywood films, set in a future nation called Panem where children are forced to fight to the death in an annual televised event. Alongside the original trilogy, Collins has written prequel novels exploring earlier chapters of Panem's history, and these too have been adapted for the screen by the studio Lionsgate.
Haymitch Abernathy is a well-known supporting character from the original films, previously played by Woody Harrelson as a bitter, hard-drinking former champion who mentors the story's heroine. The new film, based on Collins's prequel novel of the same name, tells the story of how a younger Haymitch first won the deadly contest decades earlier, shaping him into the man audiences already know.
The casting news matters to fans because it offers an early glimpse of how the studio is bringing a beloved but previously unseen part of the character's backstory to life, ahead of the film's cinema release later this year.
Coverage
- Deadline — ‘Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ Promo Introduces Joseph Zada’s Young Haymitch
- Variety — ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ First Look Revealed in ‘Meet Haymitch’ Featurette