, Tony winners Glenn Close and Billy Porter have joined the cast of the new Hunger Games prequel film, Sunrise on the Reaping.
Close will play a character named Drusilla Sickle, while Porter will play her estranged husband, Magno Stift. News of their casting was made official during Lionsgate's presentation at CineEurope.
Set to be released November 20, 2026, the film is directed by Francis Lawrence. An adaptation of the bestselling book by Suzanne Collins, this is the newest film in the extended Hunger Games franchise, including the initial four film trilogy starring Jennifer Lawrence, and the first prequel, Songbirds and Snakes, which starred Broadway's Rachel Zegler. Featuring a screenplay by Billy Ray, the film is produced by Color Force鈥檚 Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, with Cameron MacConomy serving as executive producer. The five previous films in the franchise have earned more than $3.3 billion at the global box office.
The series' first book is currently being adapted for the stage by Conor McPherson, with performances slated to begin in London this fall.
Published earlier this year, Sunrise on the Reaping revisits the world of Panem 24 years before the events of original The Hunger Games books, starting on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. The book sold 1.2 million copies in its first week of sales in the US.
Porter was last seen on stage in Cabaret in the West End, where he played the Emcee. He wrapped up his run May 24. Meanwhile, Close made an appearance June 8 at the 2025 Tony Awards, where she introduced Nicole Scherzinger's Sunset Blvd. performance (Close originated the role of Norma Desmond on Broadway in 1994 and played it again in 2017).
