"Hunger Games Prequel Movie Casts Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee"

 

Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Plemons has been chosen to play Plutarch Heavensbee in the upcoming Hunger Games movie titled "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping." This film is based on a best-selling book written by Suzanne Collins. The movie is being made by Lionsgate, the same company that made the other Hunger Games films.

Plemons will join a cast that already includes:

• Joseph Zada as a younger version of Haymitch Abernathy (he was Katniss’s mentor in the original movies),

• Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird, and

• Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner (a character tied to the history of the Hunger Games).

Plutarch Heavensbee, the character Jesse Plemons will play, is important in the Hunger Games story. He eventually becomes the Head Gamemaker, the person who designs the deadly Hunger Games arena. Later, he secretly works with the rebellion to fight against the Capitol. In the earlier movies, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman played the older version of Plutarch. Those were Hoffman’s final film roles before he passed away.

This new movie, Sunrise on the Reaping, begins with the young Plutarch in District 12, the same district Katniss Everdeen is from. The movie starts with the reaping — the event where children are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games.

The book Sunrise on the Reaping was a big hit when it came out in March. In just one week, it sold 1.5 million copies across the U.S., UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In the U.S. alone, 1.2 million copies were sold in the first week — that’s twice as many as the prequel book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and three times more than Mockingjay sold in its first week.

This story takes place 24 years before Katniss’s story, beginning on the day of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, which is also called the Second Quarter Quell — a special and more brutal version of the Games that happens every 25 years.

The movie version of "Sunrise on the Reaping" will come out in theaters on November 20, 2026. It will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who also directed several previous Hunger Games movies. The screenplay is being written by Billy Ray, and the producers are Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson from a company called Color Force. Cameron MacConomy is the executive producer. So far, the five movies in the Hunger Games series have earned more than $3.3 billion in theaters around the world.

Meredith Wieck and Scott O’Brien are in charge of managing the film project at Lionsgate. The actor’s contract deal was made by Phil Strina, who worked on behalf of the studio.

Erin Westerman, co-president of Lionsgate’s movie department, said, “Jesse Plemons is one of the most talented actors of his generation. He’s careful and thoughtful about the roles he chooses. We feel honored that he picked this one. His connection to Philip Seymour Hoffman (who originally played Plutarch) makes this even more meaningful. We believe Jesse will both honor the character fans already know and also give the role his own unique touch. We’re excited for audiences to see what he does with it.”

Producer Nina Jacobson added, “I’ve loved Jesse Plemons ever since I first saw him in the show ‘Friday Night Lights.’ From the beginning, we knew we needed a truly skilled actor to play young Plutarch. Jesse was our dream choice, and we are thrilled he is now part of the Hunger Games family.”

Jesse Plemons recently starred in the Netflix series “Zero Day” alongside Robert De Niro. He was also nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Power of the Dog. His other recent movies include Kinds of Kindness and Killers of the Flower Moon. Coming up, he will appear in “Bugonia” (directed by Yorgos Lanthimos) and another new movie by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, though that one doesn’t have a title yet.

Plemons is represented by TalentWorks and a law firm called Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman.

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