Stranger Things’ Maya Hawke joins the next Hunger Games movie

By Blair Marnell Published May 15, 2025

Netflix’s Stranger Things may be coming to an end this year, but Maya Hawke has already lined up her next franchise. The actress has been cast in a supporting role in the next Hunger Game movie, Sunrise on the Reaping.

Via Entertainment Weekly, Hawke will portray Wiress, the winner of the 49th Hunger Games who was previously portrayed by Amanda Plummer in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Sunrise on the Reaping takes place two decades prior to the films starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. In the new film, Wiress is the mentor for District 12’s tributes, including Haymitch Abernathy, the character played by Woody Harrelson in the original movies. Joseph Zada has already been cast as young Haymitch.

Wiress and Haymitch aren’t the only familiar characters returning for the prequel. Mufasa: The Lion King‘s : Kelvin Harrison Jr. will play Beetee, who was portrayed by Jeffrey Wright in the previous films. Beetee had already won the Hunger Games prior to the events of the current movie, but his punishment for that feat is that he has to mentor his own 12-year-old son, Ampert, who has been reaped as one of the tributes.

Jesse Plemons was recently cast as Plutarch Heavensbee, a character who was originated by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Whitney Peak will play Haymitch’s lover, Lenore Dove Baird. Lili Taylor is reportedly portraying Mags, another former Hunger Games winner who was previously played by Lynn Cohen.

Author Suzanne Collins released her Sunrise on the Reaping novel earlier this year, and it was greeted by very impressive sales numbers. Francis Lawrence, who has directed all of the Hunger Game films except the first one, will return for Sunrise on the Reaping. Billy Ray, who co-wrote the first Hunger Games, is writing the script for the film.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will hit theaters on November 20, 2026.