⚡ Short answer
Yes. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson return as Katniss and Peeta in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and Lawrence has said Woody Harrelson is back as Haymitch too. They aren’t in the main story — it’s set 24 years before Katniss’s Games — but in a flash-forward epilogue taken from the book. It’s the first time Lawrence and Hutcherson have shared the screen as these characters since 2015.
When the news broke, the internet had one very reasonable question: how do you put Katniss and Peeta in a movie set decades before they were born? The answer was sitting at the back of Suzanne Collins’s novel the whole time. Here’s how it works, what it means, and what it doesn’t spoil.
How Katniss and Peeta fit into a prequel
Sunrise on the Reaping follows a 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy through the 50th Hunger Games. But the book doesn’t end in the past. Its final pages jump forward to the years after the war, when an older Haymitch finally talks about what happened to him — and who he’s talking to is Katniss and Peeta.
They’re working on something you’ll remember from the end of Mockingjay: a book of memories honoring the people they lost. That project is the bridge. Haymitch’s story becomes part of it.
💡 Why this matters
For two decades, Haymitch was the drunk mentor with a sharp tongue and a mysterious past. The epilogue reframes him: the reason he never talked is the story you just watched. Putting Katniss and Peeta in that final scene turns a prequel into a closing of the circle.
Is Woody Harrelson really back?
Yes, according to Jennifer Lawrence herself. When Lionsgate first confirmed her and Hutcherson in December 2025, Harrelson’s return wasn’t announced, which sent fans into theory mode (his voice was already in the trailer). Lawrence later confirmed on the Call Her Daddy podcast that she reunited with both Hutcherson and Harrelson for the film. She described shooting it as surreal because it was the same crew, and said she and Hutcherson were inseparable on set.
🧩 Quiz: When did Lawrence and Hutcherson last appear as Katniss and Peeta?
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 in 2015. That makes this an 11-year gap — longer than the entire original film series took to make.
How much screen time will they get?
Lionsgate hasn’t said. If the film follows the book, expect an epilogue-sized appearance: a meaningful final stretch rather than a co-starring role. Go in for a goosebumps moment, not a Katniss movie. Anyone telling you otherwise before November 20 is guessing.
Does the epilogue spoil the movie?
Not really — you already know Haymitch survives the 50th Games, because he’s alive in the original films. The epilogue isn’t about whether he made it. It’s about what surviving did to him. We won’t go further than that here.
Can I watch Sunrise on the Reaping without seeing the original movies?
You can, but the epilogue is the one part that’s built specifically for people who have. If you want the full emotional hit, rewatch at least The Hunger Games and Mockingjay – Part 2 beforehand. Everything’s streaming on Peacock — here’s our Hunger Games watch order.
🗳️ Quick poll: How are you feeling about the Katniss and Peeta return?
- Already crying, haven’t even bought tickets
- Love it, as long as it’s short
- Worried it’ll feel like fan service
- I just want more Haymitch
Drop your number in the comments — we tally the votes and update this post with the results.
Quick facts
- US release: November 20, 2026, in theaters
- World premiere: London, October 28, 2026
- Returning stars: Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch)
- Young Haymitch: Joseph Zada
- Director: Francis Lawrence
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