If you’ve seen the original Hunger Games saga, you’ll know it takes until the arrival of Katniss Everdeen for the Capitol of Panem to be toppled, with plenty of casualties along the way. So, heading into the series’ second prequel, Sunrise On The Reaping – following 2023’s Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes – you already know that things aren’t necessarily going to be sunshine and rainbows for the fledgling rebellion around the 50th Hunger Games (Katniss was first reaped for the 74th edition, over two decades later). Add in that Woody Harrelson’s alcoholic former victor Haymitch is a shell of a man when Katniss meets him, and it’s clear he goes through hell.
Sunrise On The Reaping is the tragic story of Haymitch’s Hunger Games – with an even bigger bodycount than usual, since his deathmatch saw double the amount of tributes picked in a blockbuster ‘Quarter Quell’. Even more so than any other games, it’ll push our protagonist to the edge. “His whole persona is the stick-it-to-the-man thing,” says relative newcomer Joseph Zada, who plays the young Haymitch. “At what point does Haymitch break?” Rather than ape Harrelson’s performance, he’ll be showing a new side to the character. “This is a completely different person at a very different part of their lives,” he explains. “I wanted to try and make a very big contrast between the two.”
For all the bleakness of the Hunger Games saga, there is a smidge of hope in there too – a note of resilience and holding on to principles, even if victory is literally decades away. “You have to be a part of something and have your voice heard, no matter what side you’re on,” says returning director Francis Lawrence. “And you have to do it not necessarily expecting instant gratification. That change has to start, but it may not happen for generations. It may not happen in our lifetimes, but we’re all part of a continuum, and you need to speak up.” The real heart of Sunrise On The Reaping, and Haymitch’s story? “It’s the choice to keep fighting,” says Lawrence. Game on.
Read Empire’s full The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping story in the Dune: Part Three issue, on sale Thursday October 22. Pre-order a copy online here. The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping comes to UK cinemas from November 20.