Elizabeth Banks Says New Hunger Games Prequel Is "Amazing"

Elizabeth Banks has seen The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and she called it amazing. She made the comments on Wednesday night, 28 October, at the Airbnb.org Gala in Los Angeles, as Variety reported.

The film is a prequel. It follows a young Haymitch, the mentor character from the earlier films, as he competes in the 50th Hunger Games. It takes place 24 years before the events of the original series. It is based on Suzanne Collins' 2025 novel, and Lionsgate opens it in theatres on 20 November.

Banks played Effie Trinket, the flamboyant escort, in the first four Hunger Games films from 2012 to 2015. Now Elle Fanning takes on the younger version of the character. Banks has called Fanning's casting "perfect," in an earlier interview with Variety.

The biggest recasting is Haymitch. Joseph Zada now plays him, taking the role from Woody Harrelson. Banks said Zada is "a perfect Woody Harrelson" and "fantastic as young Haymitch."

Harrelson is not gone entirely. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Harrelson return as Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch in a flash-forward scene. The original stars also helped the new cast settle into their roles, according to People.

The rest of the cast includes Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Maya Hawke as Wiress and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee. Culkin and Fiennes are both new to the franchise's younger timeline, and the cast list gives the prequel a wide mix of familiar names and fresh faces.

Ahead of the new film, the original four Hunger Games movies have returned to cinemas, according to a Variety report from July. The series began when Lionsgate announced in 2024 that it would adapt the new novel into a major motion picture.

For fans, the news is simple. The prequel reaches cinemas on 20 November, and Banks has now given it a public thumbs up.