In exciting news for fans of the “Hunger Games” franchise, Lionsgate has announced the release of a new prequel film slated for theaters in 2026. This follows the success of last year’s prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which grossed $337 million at the box office.
Adam Fogelson, chairman of Lionsgate’s motion picture group, hinted at the potential for more stories from the dystopian world of Panem, stating, “The film opened an endless series of possibilities that Suzanne [Collins] can go, and that [Lionsgate] can go with her.”
Suzanne Collins, the author of the original series and the recent prequel, is working on a new book titled “Sunrise on the Reaping,” scheduled for release in 2025. Its film adaptation, “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” is set to hit theaters on November 20, 2026. Francis Lawrence, who directed several previous installments, is in talks to direct this new film.
The story will take place 24 years before the events of the original series and 40 years after “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” It will begin on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, in which Haymitch Abernathy, a character familiar to fans, participated.
Fogelson expressed excitement about continuing the collaboration with Collins, stating, “Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative north star. 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.”
Meredith Wieck and Scott O’Brien will oversee the production for Lionsgate, with Patricia Laucella and Phil Strina handling the book rights.
The “Hunger Games” franchise has been a massive success, generating over $3.3 billion worldwide. Although “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” did not match the ticket sales of the original films, its profitability has encouraged Lionsgate to proceed with another installment.