Glenn Close and Billy Porter have officially been cast in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
On X (formerly Twitter), the official Hunger Games handle shared the casting news of Close and Porter. In the prequel movie, Close plays the role of Drusilla Sickle, the cruel escort to the District 12 Tributes, while Porter will portray Magno Stift, her estranged husband and designer to the Tributes.
In a statement (via Variety), producer Nina Jacobson said, “Glenn Close is a dream Drusilla. She brings so much of her intellect and imagination to each role, creating characters who are unforgettable and iconic.” Jacobson added, “Billy is one of those rare performers who can dazzle and devastate in equal measure on stage and screen. He made an indelible impression on me when we worked together on ‘Pose,’ both as an actor and a human being.”
Sunrise on the Reaping is the fifth Hunger Games novel by Suzanne Collins — and a prequel to the main series — taking place 14 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute. The new film’s plot follows Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) — as he is reaped to be a tribute for District 12 during the 50th Hunger Games (also known as the Second Quarter Quell) — along with Maysilee Donner (Mckenna Grace), Wyatt Callow (Ben Wang), and Louella McCoy (Molly McCann). While the main Hunger Games novels shared bits of detail about what happened in Haymitch’s games, Sunrise on the Reaping retells the entire story — and how the Capitol has altered and edited events in order to continue the propaganda and lies that it feeds to its citizens.
The cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping includes Zada as Haymitch Abernathy, Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird, Grace as Maysilee Donner, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier, Maya Hawke as Wiress, Lili Taylor as Mags Flanagan, Wang as Wyatt Callow, Ralph Fiennes as Coriolanus Snow, McCann as Louella McCoy, Iona Bell as Lou Lou, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Close as Drusilla Sickle, and Porter as Magno Stift.
In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Wang confirmed that this is his “understanding” and that they are already “starting” to prepare for the movie. Filming will begin in July 2025, and pre-production is already underway.
Wang said, “Yes, we’re starting… yeah, that’s my understanding. Honestly, right now I’m just getting onboarded so I know about as much as you.”
Close will next appear in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out sequel, Wake Up Dead Man. Billy Porter recently debuted in Cabaret on the West End and will star in Gurinder Chadha’s Christmas Karma.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will hit theaters on November 20, 2026 by Lionsgate.
Source: The Hunger Games/X
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