The Hunger Games Star "Waiting" to Return for Another Movie

Jena Malone wants to reprise her role of Johanna Mason.

By Jenna Anderson

Fans of the Hunger Games franchise got a massive surprise earlier this month, with the announcement of a new book in the saga from author Suzanne Collins. Titled Sunrise on the Reaping, the March 2025 book has already been confirmed to be getting a movie adaptation, with fans heavily speculating that it will revolve around the early days of Haymitch Abernathy. Over the years, there have been calls to get prequels elaborating on a number of stories of past Hunger Games tributes, or even some sort of sequel following the post-war exploits of certain characters. In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Johanna Mason actress Jena Malone joined the campaign for her to reprise her role in some capacity.

"Come on, where's Johanna Mason?" Malone asked. "I'm like, I'm just waiting."

What Is the New Hunger Games Movie About?

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.

"With Sunrise on the Reaping, I was inspired by David Hume's idea of implicit submission and, in his words, 'the easiness with which the many are governed by the few,'" Collins said in a statement announcing the book. "The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question 'Real or not real?' seems more pressing to me every day."

Will There Be More Hunger Games Movies?

In addition to the story of Haymitch's Hunger Games, fans have also hoped to one day get a prequel surrounding Finnick Odair, who won the 65th Hunger Games and became a pivotal and tragic part of the next Quarter Quell. Collins has repeatedly stated that her Hunger Games entries are a way for her to "examine" a real-world topic, with franchise director Francis Lawrence indicating that another film installment wouldn't happen without Collins having a specific narrative in mind. 

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"If Suzanne has another thematic idea that she feels fits into the world of Panem — whether that's with new people [or] familiar characters [like] Finnick, Haymitch, whoever — I'd be really interested in looking at it and being a part of it," Lawrence told Entertainment Weekly in an interview last year. "But I don't have any pull of just going, 'I would love to do Finnick's games.' He's a great character, but what's the thematic underpinnings that make it worth telling and relevant?"

Sunrise on the Reaping will be released wherever books are sold on March 18, 2025, followed by the movie adaptation on November 20, 2026.

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