‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ Gets a Panem-Sized Update From Iris Apatow [Exclusive]

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Published Mar 14, 2026, 1:54 PM EDT

Few dystopian sci-fi franchises have as much staying power as The Hunger Games. On the back of the award-winning writing from author Suzanne Collins and strong performances from stars like Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, The Hunger Games blossomed into a billion-dollar franchise in the early 2010s, with four straight movies across four years. Things were quiet in Panem until 2023, when the franchise returned with a new Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth-starring prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which grossed over $360 million at the global box office. Next up on The Hunger Games slate is another prequel to the original films, Sunrise on the Reaping, which takes place 24 years before the Katniss Everdeen saga, where a young Haymitch Abernathy prepares to participate in the games.

Long-tenured director Francis Lawrence is back at the helm for the newest Hunger Games movie, which Michael Lesslie and Billy Ray worked to adapt from Collins’ latest novel. The film features one of the most impressive call sheets ever assembled, including Joseph Zada in the lead role of Haymitch Abernathy, along with Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, Jefferson White as Mr. McCoy, Maya Hawke as Wiress, Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle, Kieran Culkin as Cesar Flickerman, Iris Apatow as Prosperina Trinket, Ben Wang as Wyatt Callow, and even Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson as Katniss and Peeta. Collider’s Perri Nemiroff recently sat down with Iris Apatow at SXSW to talk about her new Prime Video original movie, Pretty Lethal, and she asked her what it was like to work alongside Elle Fanning in the film:

“It was really, really surreal to work with her. I've always looked up to her since I was little. But yeah, we've worked a lot with the same accent coach, and getting to prepare for the parts at the same time was so exciting. Everybody was so kind and accepting of very nervous people like me. That whole thing, I fear, I can't speak any more on it because I am terrified. But also, her lovely daughter, [Maya Hawke], is in it, as well, and working with her was one of my favorite experiences ever.”

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When Does Iris Apatow’s ‘Pretty Lethal’ Come Out?

Iris Apatow’s next movie, Pretty Lethal, will be released exclusively on Prime Video on March 25. Written by Kate Freund and directed by Vicky Jewson, the film co-stars Uma Thurman, Millicent Simmons, Lana Condor, and Maddie Ziegler opposite Apatow. Pretty Lethal is an action thriller following a group of ballerinas who try to escape from a remote inn after their bus breaks down on their way to a competition.

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and check out Iris Apatow’s Pretty Lethal on Prime Video starting March 25.