Jennifer Lawrence Is Back as Katniss Everdeen in Sunrise on the Reaping

Jennifer Lawrence is returning as Katniss Everdeen for the first time in 11 years. She talked about the role on the latest episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, and Variety reported her remarks on October 28, 2026.

The film is The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and it is scheduled for release in cinemas on November 20 from Lionsgate. It is a prequel, so it moves back in time to the earlier days of the story. It follows a young Haymitch, played by Joseph Zada, as he competes in the 50th Hunger Games.

Lawrence played Katniss in four films between 2012 and 2015. Lawrence, who is an Oscar winner, said that coming back to the part felt unbelievable and emotional. She also said she was working again with the same crew and the same assistant director she had on the original films.

Several familiar faces are coming back too. Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson return as Katniss and Peeta Mellark for a scene in the film. Woody Harrelson also returns as Haymitch, the mentor whom the young Haymitch will grow into. Lawrence said she reunited with both men on the set.

Lawrence first said she was open to playing Katniss again in 2023, when she spoke to Variety during the press tour for No Hard Feelings. Now she is saying yes on screen. Her podcast appearance on Call Her Daddy, hosted by Alex Cooper, also touched on her work in some of her best-known roles.

The franchise has a large audience around the world. According to Variety, the Hunger Games films have grossed $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office to date. Worldwide means all the cinemas in every country where the films have played, added together.

For fans, the news means a new way back into the story. A prequel lets the film show a younger version of a character viewers already know, and the return of Lawrence, Hutcherson and Harrelson gives it a direct link to the earlier movies. The film opens in cinemas on November 20.