Glenn Close and Billy Porter Join New ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel

Preview:

• Glenn Close and Billy Porter are the latest addition to the new ‘Hunger Games’ prequel.
• Jhaleil Swaby is also aboard, playing the character of Panache.
• Francis Lawrence is again directing the movie.

While the cameras are now rolling on the new ‘Hunger Games’ franchise entry, prequel offering ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’, you might think that the stream of casting would dry up. You’d be mistaken!

Two more big names and more of a rising star are the latest people to be announced, as Deadline reports that Glenn Close will be Drusilla Sickle, Billy Porter has the role of Magno Stift and Jhaleil Swaby (‘The Lake’) will play Panache.

Here’s ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ producer Nina Jacobson on Close’s casting:

“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. I think Glenn and Francis will have a ball bringing Drusilla from the page to the screen.”

And regarding Porter:

“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. Casting this show has felt like winning the lottery every time one of our idols said yes to us.”

Related Article: Ralph Fiennes, Maya Hawke and More on for Latest ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel

What’s the story of ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?

While the previous prequel took place 64 years before the events of the original trilogy, ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is set 24 years before that trio of Jennifer Lawrence films in the world of Panem, commencing on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.

Those games are an important event in the canon as the victor was Haymitch Abernathy, the only winner from District 12 before Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson’s Peeta Mellark’s tie win. Haymitch continues on to become a mentor, a character in the original movies played by Woody Harrelson.

Who else has been cast in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’?

The cast also includes Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak, who will play Haymitch Abernathy and the woman he loves, Lenore Dove Baird.

Ralph Fiennes is the latest actor to play the calculating Coriolanus Snow, who we meet as a younger man in previous prequel ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,’ there played by Tom Blyth and was most famously portrayed by Donald Sutherland as President Snow in the original four movies.

Maya Hawke, most recently seen in ‘Maestro’ and ‘The Kill Room’ and who provided the voice of Anxiety in ‘Inside Out 2,’ will be Wiress, former Hunger Games champion–turned–District 12 mentor.

Lili Taylor, as Deadline has learned, will be Mags, another former champion who is now a mentor for one of the District 12 tributes. And Ben Wang, who broke out in Disney+ series ‘American Born Chinese’ and will be one of the leads of ‘Karate Kid: Legends,’ has landed the role of District 12 Tribute Wyatt Callow.

In addition to the two leads, we also now know that McKenna Grace, who has appeared in the recent ‘Ghostbusters’ movies, will be in the movie as Maysilee Donner, Haymitch’s fellow District 12 Tribute, while Jesse Plemons has the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, as brought to life by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original movies.

Finally, recent Academy Award winner Kieran Culkin is to play Caesar Flickerman (the eccentric host character played in the first film series by Stanley Tucci).

As for the new additions?

Close’s Sickle is the cruel escort to the District 12 Tributes, while Porter’s Stift is her estranged husband and the Tributes’ uninspired designer.

Swaby’s Panache, meanwhile is a crude and aggressive career tribute from District 1, known for his arrogance and ruthlessness.

‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’: Collins and the filmmakers talk

Here’s Suzanne Collins’ statement on the new book and movie:

“With ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’, I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few… The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day. From the beginning, Lionsgate has been a wonderful home and partner for the ‘Hunger Games’ franchise, and I’m very excited to be collaborating with Adam and the team as we bring this next story to theaters in 2026.”

And here’s Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson:

“Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative north star. We couldn’t be more fortunate than to be guided and trusted by a collaborator whose talent and imagination are so consistently brilliant. We know ‘Hunger Games’ fans worldwide will be spellbound by where Suzanne has focused this next extraordinary story. The Second Quarter Quell is legendary and looms large over the history of the Games, even into the time of Katniss Everdeen a quarter-century later. Like fans around the globe, we are eagerly anticipating this exciting return to Panem.”

When will ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ be in theaters?

Lionsgate will have the new movie in theaters on November 20th, 2026.

Other Movies in ‘The Hunger Games’ Franchise:

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