Lionsgate has released the official trailer for “The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping” starring Joseph Zada, Jesse Plemons, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Mckenna Grace, Ben Wang, Whitney Peak, Maya Hawke, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ralph Fiennes, and Glenn Close. The film will be released in theaters on November 20th.
Plot Synopsis: Taking place 24 years before the first film, a young Haymitch Abernathy is selected to compete in the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, which occurs every 25 years with a twist to the rules. For the 50th Hunger Games, each district of Panem must send twice the number of tributes to the Capitol, who will fight to the death in said Hunger Games.
What do you all think of the trailer? I have to admit, this franchise is slowly winning me back. I loved the first two “Hunger Games” films and was mixed to negative on “Mockingjay” Parts 1 and 2, but I liked elements of “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” especially its overall aesthetics and sense of scale. That seems to be continuing here, but what has me more intrigued is the return of film one’s screenwriter, Billy Ray, and the casting of recognizable names as characters from the first four films we’re familiar with. Kieran Culkin and Elle Fanning especially look like they’re having a blast. I’m not sure I’m entirely sold on Zada as Haymitch Abernathy. Do I detect a hint of Harrelson’s performance in him? Not really. Does he seem to be lacking a bit of charisma? Yes. But this is still just a trailer, showing us only snippets. Hopefully, when we see the full film (anyone want to guess what the runtime will be?), we’ll get more than he’s giving off here. Overall, though, this is a very well-constructed trailer that sells the dark stakes, grandeur, sense of scope, flamboyance, and the urgent ties to our times these films can offer. Lionsgate has been promoting this for over a year, so they must have a ton of confidence in it, and Lawrence continues to grow as a filmmaker with each passing film (“The Long Walk” in particular was fantastic). What do you all think of the trailer? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account.
