Summary
TheHunger Games: Sunrise on the Reapingfilm adaptation has already been underway at Lionsgate for a while now, despite the book only being two weeks old on shelves, and now the project has secured another essential part of the adaptation process with a familiar name.
TheHunger Gamesfranchise was created bySuzanne Collins, whose young adult novel would expand to a full-on book series and then a film series with Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role as Katniss Everdeen. The first slate of films was a massive success, breaking box office records and leaving demand for more entries on the table despite running through all the mainline books already. As a result, Collins’ IP has since grown to include a prequel andanother adaptation ofThe Hunger Gamesin a new medium. More recently, the author finished work on a second prequel novel, set closer to the events of the first book and film.
Following the success ofThe Hunger Gamesprequel project,The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesand its film adaptation, Collins’s next book was snapped up with fervor by Lionsgate for a film adaptation while it was still being written. Now, a new update on the ongoing adaptation project has been confirmed just a few days afterSunrise on the Reaping’sMarch 18 book release, and it’s good news. As reported byTheWrap,Captain Phillips, Overlord,andTerminator: Dark Fatescribe Billy Ray has been attached to write the screenplay forSunrise on the Reaping.Ray, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the firstHunger Gamesfilm adaptation, will be working alongside director Francis Lawrence, who has been the filmmaker behind all the franchise’s films since the second entry. With the film set to expand the lore of the franchise even further on the big screen, there’s likely no better choice of scribe or director for the job.
Fans should be excited about Ray’s return to the franchise, as his work on the first film is even more notable than they realize. Since it was the first adaptation of her work, Collins personally co-wrote the screenplay for the first film alongside Ray and the film’s director. This gives the scribe a very handy understanding of her process and how she’d want things done. Getting the writer down is a great sign for the project as well, showing that the production timeline is likely on schedule. Things have been in motion behind the scenes prior to the publication, and Lawrence confirmed thatSunrise on the Reapingwould begin filming in 2025to meet up with its proposed late 2026 release window.
WithSunrise on the Reapingpublished and the adaptation well on its way to filming this year, there are a lot of different directions that Collins could take her IP. One obvious choice would be a project focused on or prominently featuring Peeta, as franchise starJosh Hutcherson is looking to return to theHunger Games,but only if there’s a book to work off of. Whether or not that’s the next move or something else is brewing remains to be seen, but for now, fans can look forward to reading and then watchingSunrise on the Reapingwhen the film comes out next year.
The Hunger Gamesfilm franchise is available to stream on Netflix, withSunrise on the Reapingset to hit theaters on July 04, 2025.
The Hunger Games
In a Dystopian future, food has become the world’s most valuable resource, and children must fight to the death in a televised event in order to win resources for their home districts. When Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister’s place, she sets in motion an uprising to change the world. Based on the hit YA novels by author Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games quickly became a phenomenon with four star-studded movies based on the original series and a prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, released in 2023. The series has featured performances by Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Peter Dinklage, and Rachel Zegler.
