The trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping has arrived, and it launches the next chapter in the ever-expanding Panem universe. This time around, the spotlight turns to a young Haymitch Abernathy, long before he became the loser-turned-mentor we met in the original films. The teaser gives us both fresh visual flourishes and strong ties back to the trilogy we know so well.
What the trailer shows
The new footage opens with the reaping in District 12, where the ominous voice of the tribute escort announces: “Twice the number of tributes. Twice the glory.” According to coverage, this refers to the 50th Hunger Games (a Second Quarter Quell) in which each district must send four tributes instead of the usual two.
We see the arena: lush, bright, deceptively beautiful, yet haunted by danger. A volcano looms in the background, the landscape hints at underlying peril. Familiar names and faces emerge: younger versions of characters from the original trilogy. For example, a young Effie Trinket (Elle Fanning) appears, and the trailer confirms that Ralph Fiennes will portray President Snow in this timeline. The tone is darker, more traumatic: the stakes are heightened, the rules more brutal.
How it connects to the other films
Prequel to the original trilogy
Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games (2012) when Katniss Everdeen steps into the arena.
By focusing on Haymitch’s origin - the horrors he endured, the coping mechanisms he developed - the film promises to explain why he appears in the original trilogy the way he does: jaded, alcoholic, cynical but burdened with experience.
Building on the first prequel
It also serves as a sequel to The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023). That film dealt with the rise of Coriolanus Snow; this one carries forward the legacy of the games and the Capitol’s manipulation of spectacle.
So we’re seeing a chain: Ballad → Sunrise → original trilogy, with each layer adding context to the next.
Narrative and symbolic links
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The mockingjay symbol is referenced. In the novelisation, one of Haymitch’s fellow tributes is Maysilee Donner, who originally owns a mockingjay pin - later worn by Katniss.
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Haymitch’s famous calling Katniss “sweetheart” takes on new depth when we learn in Sunrise that the term originally linked to a young friend/love, Louella McCoy.
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The theme of propaganda and control: The original trilogy focused heavily on rebellion, media manipulation, and spectacle. The trailer suggests that these elements were already baked into the system long before Katniss arrived - the 50th Games touting “twice the tributes, twice the glory” is a prime example.
What this means for fans and newcomers
For longtime fans of the series, this trailer signals that the creators are not just re-treading old ground - they’re digging deeper into foundational events that shaped the heroes and villains we recognise.
For newcomers, this could serve as an entry point: you can watch Sunrise and then trace the lineage forward into the original films, seeing how characters and symbols evolve across time.
The visual aesthetic appears to refresh the franchise while maintaining its core identity: dystopian spectacle, human cost, and the interplay of victim and control.
Final Thoughts
The trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping delivers on promise: it opens a new chapter in the franchise while honouring the storylines fans know and love. With its rich connections to the original films, its elevated stakes, and a visual punch that refreshes the world of Panem, this prequel will likely become a cornerstone for the brand moving forward.
