The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping delves deep into the franchise’s lore to explore Haymitch Abernathy’s backstory, including how he won the Hunger Games twenty-four years before Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark came on the scene. Suzanne Collins’ new book has already redefined how fans view the original story, with a film adaptation set to hit theaters in late 2026. With two prequels under her belt, Collins seems determined to keep telling stories in the world of Panem.
Both The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping take supporting characters from the original Hunger Games books and expand their backstory while giving new information about the fictional world around them. Several characters from the original series deserve to get the same treatment, from fan-favorite Victors to conniving villains.
RelatedSunrise on the Reaping brought many secrets to light, including some that could support one outlandish Hunger Games theory about Katniss’s father.
10 Finnick Odair Is Everyone’s Top Choice for a Hunger Games Prequel
Played by Sam Claflin
Image via Lionsgate
If there’s one character that audiences want to see star in his own Hunger Games prequel the most, it is Finnick Odair. The District 4 Career tribute won the 65th Hunger Games almost a decade before the events of the original book, only to find himself drawn back into the arena during the Third Quarter Quell. There, he teams up with Katniss and Peeta to escape, eventually joining the rebellion against the Capitol, during which he is killed by a mob of mutts.
Finnick’s story is a tragic one, as detailed during the events of Mockingjay. The youngest victor ever at fourteen, Finnick immediately captured the attention of the Capitol elite, who delighted in his handsome appearance. President Snow ensured that Finnick’s life as a Victor would be torturous, selling his body to the highest bidders. Finnick essentially became the Capitol’s sex puppet for the next ten years, gaining him a false reputation as a playboy. Seeing Finnick’s story play out would be both tragic and cathartic as he learns to eventually overcome the Capitol’s destructive tendencies and joins the rebellion to topple Snow once and for all.
9 Johanna Mason Led a Tragic Life After Her Hunger Games
Played by Jena Malone
Image via Lionsgate
Johanna Mason is an unforgettable character who often clashes with Katniss Everdeen during the events of the original Hunger Games books. Hailing from District 7, Johanna won the Games three years before Katniss and Peeta. She was infamous for faking an emotional breakdown after the Reaping, only to unleash her brutal fighting skills on her unsuspecting fellow tributes in the arena. Eventually, she joins the rebellion against the Capitol and emerges as one of the few surviving Victors when the dust settles.
As one of the Hunger Games franchise’s most entertaining characters, Johanna Mason could easily lead her prequel. Her story would most likely focus on her life after the Games, depicting tragedy after tragedy as President Snow picks off everyone she loves one by one. A Johanna prequel could delve into exactly what the Victor did to anger Snow enough to kill everyone she ever loved, and set up her return during the events of Catching Fire.
8 Plutarch Heavensbee Worked in the Shadows for Decades
Played by Philip Seymour Hoffman
Plutarch Heavensbee is easily one of the most intelligent characters in the entire Hunger Games saga. A wealthy elite living in the Capitol, Plutarch rises to the rank of Head Gamemaster during the events of Catching Fire, only to reveal that he has been plotting against President Snow all along. Plutarch becomes instrumental in fomenting the rebellion against the Capitol, eventually toppling Snow and establishing a republic far superior to the dictator’s former government.
Sunrise on the Reaping reveals that Plutarch had been plotting rebellion decades before readers first meet him in Catching Fire. It would be interesting for another prequel to delve more deeply into Plutarch’s schemes as he works behind the scenes in the Capitol. Such a story could take on a Game of Thrones vibe that follows Plutarch as he does his best to gain allies without giving himself away.
7 Annie Cresta Deserves to Have Her Story Told
Played by Stef Dawson
Image via Lionsgate
Annie Cresta is one of many Victors reaped for the Third Quarter Quell during the events of Catching Fire, though Mags Flanagan volunteered to compete in her place. Annie is a delicate girl who was left emotionally disturbed by her time in the Hunger Games, where she narrowly won thanks to her superb swimming skills after the arena flooded, killing the other remaining tributes. During her recovery, Annie fell in love with fellow District 4 Victor Finnick Odair, eventually marrying him during the events of Mockingjay. After Finnick’s death, Annie is left to raise their child on her own, with little more of her fate explored thereafter.
RelatedOne twist in Sunrise on the Reaping could hint at a major reveal for this beloved character from the original Hunger Games movies.
Annie Cresta has very little time to shine in the original Hunger Games books, but could be the perfect subject for another prequel. While everyone is expecting a spinoff following Finnick’s story, Annie may be a more likely character to be explored in greater depth. Audiences know less of Annie’s story than they do Finnick’s, giving Suzanne Collins more room to explore the events of her Games and life thereafter. Finnick would still be a major player in the story, but his life would rather be viewed through the eyes of his future wife, making for an interesting twist on the story that fans all want to see.
6 The First Quarter Quell Is Still Shrouded in Mystery
The Second and Third Quarter Quells Were Monumental
Image via Lionsgate
The Quarter Quells are an essential part of The Hunger Games‘ story. Every twenty-fifth Hunger Games is a special occasion that adds a unique twist to the typical format of the annual event. Sunrise on the Reaping and Catching Fire explore the Second and Third Quarter Quells, respectively. However, readers still know almost nothing about the First Quarter Quell.
The 25th Hunger Games forced the Districts to select their own tributes, foregoing the typical reaping process. Beyond that, Suzanne Collins has revealed nothing about the First Quarter Quell, including its Victor. However, given that the other Quarter Quells proved crucial to the rising tide of rebellion in Panem, the first of these events is an essential part of the franchise’s story.
5 The Hunger Games Fans Don’t Know Much About Enobaria
image via Lionsgate
Enobaria is a ruthless Victor from District 2 who won the 62nd Hunger Games. Known for her distinctive sharpened teeth, Enobaria joins the other Career tributes in the Third Quarter Quell, hunting down Katniss and her other allies in a vain attempt to kill them. Enobaria is the only one of the Career pack to survive the 75th Hunger Games, being held captive by the Capitol in the months during the rebellion. She manages to survive the events of the series, though little is known of what happened to her after Mockingjay.
RelatedFans are already looking for a young actor to play this iconic Hunger Games character in Sunrise on the Reaping, but he doesn’t need to be recast.
Of all the Victors to survive the fall of the Capitol, audiences know the least about Enobaria. Her life before Catching Fire is still shrouded in mystery, as are her exploits during and after the events of Mockingjay. It would be interesting for a Hunger Games prequel to explore the life of a Career tribute like Enobaria, offering a different perspective on the Hunger Games and even on the Capitol itself. Enobaria’s story would be vastly different from the stories of Suzanne Collins’s previous protagonists, making it all the more necessary for the District 2 Victor to star in her own spinoff.
4 Cashmere and Gloss May Be More Complicated Than They Seem
Played by Stephanie Leigh Schlund and Alan Ritchson
Image via Lionsgate
Cashmere and Gloss are two minor characters who only appear in Catching Fire but could prove to be so much more. The brother and sister pair hail from District 1, and each won their respective Hunger Games sometime before the events of the first book. Cashmere and Gloss then become President Snow’s hired assassins during the Third Quarter Quell, sent to kill Katniss to ensure that she doesn’t escape the arena again. However, both are killed before they can accomplish this mission.
Besides the fact that Gloss is played by Reacher‘s Alan Ritchson, there is something inherently interesting about a brother and sister who both won the Hunger Games, only to find their way back into the arena years later. A prequel about these characters could explore what the Hunger Games did to their families and what life as a Victor is like for Careers. Cashmere and Gloss’s story could also reveal more about District 1’s relationship with the Capitol, which is decidedly different than what the tributes from District 12 experienced.
Played by Jeffrey Wright
Image Via Lionsgate
Beetee Latier is a Victor from District 3 who proves crucial in Katniss’s fight against the Capitol in the original Hunger Games trilogy. After helping several of his allies escape the arena during the Third Quarter Quell, Beetee escaped with Katniss and Haymitch to District 13, where he helps plan the rebellion. He is one of several Victors to survive the events of Mockingjay, eventually voting against the idea to institute a symbolic Hunger Games in reparation for the Capitol’s crimes.
Beetee makes a surprise appearance in Sunrise on the Reaping, where it is revealed that his backstory is much more tragic than fans ever realized. The book includes other hints about his life that suggest there is even more to his story than has yet been revealed. This makes it all the more necessary for Beetee to star in his own prequel, exploring his life between the events of Sunrise on the Reaping and Catching Fire.
2 There Is More to Effie Trinket’s Family Than Hunger Games Fans Realize
Played by Elizabeth Banks
Image via Lionsgate
Effie Trinket begins The Hunger Games as the energetic and enthusiastic escort to District 12. However, she gradually comes to see the horrors of the Capitol after growing close to Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. The movie version of Effie aids in the rebellion against the Capitol, while the book version of the character merely manages to survive the war but emerges shell-shocked and in denial.
RelatedA deleted scene in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire would have shown what the Capitol’s horrifying plans for the Hunger Games really were.
Effie Trinket also makes a surprise appearance in Sunrise on the Reaping, where a few lines of dialogue hint at there being more behind her character than audiences ever realized. She implies that the Trinket family has been disgraced in some way, though she never reveals any details. A spinoff about Effie could reveal the secrets of the Trinket family, which could somehow be connected to the later adventures of Katniss and her fellow tributes.
Played by Julianne Moore
Image via Lionsgate
President Alma Coin is the leader of District 13, long thought destroyed during the first rebellion against the Capitol. After revealing herself to the rest of Panem during the events of Mockingjay, Coin leads the Districts in a second rebellion, eventually toppling the Capitol. However, after realizing that the new president is just as ruthless as Snow, Katniss kills President Coin in front of the world, ensuring that Panem doesn’t fall into another era of brutal authoritarianism.
A prequel about District 13’s leader could do for Alma Coin what The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes did for Coriolanus Snow. The Hunger Games needs to delve deeper into the psyche of its most conniving villain, exploring just how similar she is to her Capitol counterpart. In so doing, Suzanne Collins could create a surprising connection between this book and her first prequel, proving that Snow and Coin are really just two sides of the same… coin.
Release Date
November 20, 2026
Director
Francis Lawrence
