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Zada to play young Haymitch Abernathy, with Peak cast as Lenore Dove Baird in the 2026 Lionsgate prequel
Washington DC, April 24:
Lionsgate has officially announced the lead cast for its highly anticipated Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping. Joseph Zada, best known for his role in We Were Liars, has been cast as a young Haymitch Abernathy, with Whitney Peak set to play his girlfriend Lenore Dove Baird, as per a report from Variety.
The upcoming film, based on Suzanne Collins’ newly released novel, will chronicle events set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen enters the arena and 40 years after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
🔥 What We Know So Far
- Release Date: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to hit theaters on November 20, 2026.
- Setting: The film explores the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, in which Haymitch won his first and only Games.
- Production Banner: The film is being developed under Lionsgate, which has produced all prior Hunger Games installments.
🌟 Meet the Cast
- Joseph Zada is set to star as Haymitch, the iconic mentor character originally portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the original franchise. Zada will also appear in Prime Video’s We Were Liars (June 2025) and Netflix’s East of Eden alongside Florence Pugh.
- Whitney Peak, widely recognized for her role as Zoya Lott in Max’s Gossip Girl reboot, will portray Lenore, a new character tied closely to Haymitch’s backstory. She’ll also star in Sony’s upcoming thriller Shiver opposite Phoebe Dynevor.
With its return to Panem, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping promises a fresh yet hauntingly familiar tale of power, survival, and rebellion — this time through the eyes of a younger Haymitch.