EXCLUSIVE: Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons has been cast as Plutarch Heavensbee in Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, its adaptation of the bestselling book by Suzanne Collins. He joins a cast that already features Joseph Zada As Haymitch Abernathy, Whitney Peak As Lenore Dove Baird and Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner.
A future Head Gamemaker and rebellion leader, Plutarch Heavensbee was previously played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman; his performances in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Parts 1 and 2 were his final film roles. Sunrise on the Reaping opens with the young Plutarch Heavensbee in District 12, capturing the reaping of the Tributes there.
Sunrise on the Reaping sold 1.5 million copies in its first week on sale in the U.S., UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand after it hit shelves in March. The 1.2 million copies sold in its first week in the U.S. are twice the first-week sales of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and three times those of Mockingjay.
Sunrise on the Reaping revisits the world of Panem twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
The film adaptation of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be released on November 20, 2026. Francis Lawrence will direct from a screenplay adaptation by Billy Ray. Color Force’s Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson will produce. Cameron MacConomy will executive produce. The five films in the franchise have taken in over $3.3 billion at the box office.
Meredith Wieck and Scott O’Brien are overseeing the project for Lionsgate. Phil Strina negotiated the deal for the studio.
“Jesse is one of the most talented actors of his generation, with a proven record of picking his roles selectively,” said Erin Westerman, co-president, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “We are honored that he has chosen to bring his own take to one of the most fascinating figures in Panem, and feel that his previous collaboration with Philip Seymour Hoffman makes it all the more special. His Plutarch will be both a tribute to the character fans have already come to know and a portrayal he makes his own. We can’t wait for audiences to see it.”
Added producer Jacobson of Color Force, “Jesse has been one of my favorite actors since I first saw him in ‘Friday Night Lights.’ We knew from the start that only an actor’s actor could play a young version of Plutarch. Jesse was the dream from the start and we couldn’t be prouder to have him join the Hunger Games family.”
Plemons was most recently seen in the Netflix series Zero Day opposite Robert De Niro. Other past credits include being nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in The Power of the Dog, Kinds of Kindness and Killers of the Flower Moon. His upcoming credits include a reteaming with Yorgos Lanthimos in Bugonia and a role in an untitled film from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
He is represented by TalentWorks and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof and Fishman.
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