The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is on the way, and there are several characters who could return for this new prequel movie. The upcoming film will be based on Suzanne Collins’ newest book in the Hunger Games franchise, which has yet to be released. For this reason, we can only speculate about what characters from The Hunger Games trilogy and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will make an appearance in Sunrise on the Reaping. Luckily, Collins has already shared details about when this installment will fall in the timeline.

Collins’ new Hunger Games book was announced on June 5, 2024, with a release date already set for March 18, 2025. The author also revealed that the story would be set 40 years after the previous Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, on the mourning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games. Thanks to Katniss’ story, we already know quite a bit about that year’s Games since this second Quarter Quell is when Haymitch Abernathy was crowned victor. This allows for some speculation regarding which characters will be included in the confirmed Sunrise on the Reaping movie.

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Haymitch Abernathy

Haymitch Is The Victor Of The 50th Hunger Games

Haymitch is the victor of the 50th Hunger Games, which means his presence in Sunrise on the Reaping is guaranteed. Collins said that the story would pick up on the morning of the reaping, which, during this Quarter Quell, saw two boys and two girls reaped from each District. Movie audiences should, therefore, see a 16-year-old Haymitch reaped to participate in the games, along with another boy and two District 12 girls.

The 50th Hunger Games wasn’t mentioned in the movies, but the Catching Fire book included a scene in which Katniss and Peeta watched a recording of the reaping and tournament. Haymitch was described as aloof but charming—well-liked by the Capitol citizens. Like Katniss and Peeta, however, Haymitch won his Games in a way President Snow didn’t appreciate, making him a target of the dictator’s wrath.

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Coriolanus Snow

Snow Is President During The 50th Hunger Games

Snow had already been president for a long time by the 50th Hunger Games, so he is another character guaranteed to appear in Sunrise on the Reaping. The Catching Fire book already revealed a scene involving Snow and the Quarter Quell—the president announced on national TV that, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Games, twice as many tributes would be reaped from each District.

After The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and The Hunger Games, it will be interesting to see President Snow at full power. He will have come a long way since the 10th Hunger Games, and it’s possible that Sunrise on the Reaping will fill in the details of what has happened in the dictator’s life since he returned to the Capitol from District 12. What’s more, the first District 12 victor since Lucy Gray is sure to bring up some painful memories for Snow, and this should make his part in this newest prequel interesting.

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Katniss’ Mother

Mrs. Everdeen’s Best Friend Was Reaped For The 50th Hunger Games

Katniss’ mother, who was never given a name in The Hunger Games, was around the same age as Haymitch and was therefore also entered in the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games. She was not selected as one of the two female tributes, but her best friend, Maysilee Donner, was. Maysilee was a clever girl who wore a familiar gold Mockingjay pin into the arena. She and Haymitch teamed up, though she tragically died after being stabbed in the neck by the long beak of a bird muttation.

A young Mrs. Everdeen may not play a major role in Sunrise on the Reaping, but her friendship with Maysilee and her relation to Katniss means she is sure to make an appearance or two. Katniss hadn’t known until the third Quarter Quell that her mother had watched her childhood friend die in the arena or that her Mockingjay pin had once belonged to another Hunger Games tribute. All of this will surely come into play in the upcoming prequel movie.

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Tigris Snow

Tigris May Be A Stylists In The 50th Hunger Games

Tigris was first introduced in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, where she was grotesquely transfigured by cosmetic surgeries to look like a humanoid tiger. During this time, she was a rebel who wanted nothing more than to see Coriolanus Snow burn. However, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes revealed that she had once been a sweet young woman who loved her cousin Coryo more than anyone in the world.

It’s still unclear precisely what happened to Tigris Snow between Snow’s prequel and The Hunger Games, but Sunrise on the Reaping may be able to provide some insight. Katniss remembered Tigris as one of the most celebrated stylists of the Hunger Games, so it’s likely that she will be the head of one of the tributes’ prep teams during the 50th tournament. Whether she plays a prominent role in the plot, Tigris should at least be mentioned or briefly featured.

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Caesar Flickerman

Caesar Flickerman Should Be Host Of The 50th Hunger Games

Caesar Flickerman was a television personality and host of the Hunger Games in The Hunger Games, and Katniss mentions that he had this job for as long as anyone could remember. Therefore, it’s likely this character will play a similar role in Sunrise on the Reaping. The eccentric character was often kindly toward the tributes, though there were signs throughout The Hunger Games that he was wholly loyal to the Capitol and President Snow.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes also featured a Flickerman, this time named Lucky, who was likely Caesar’s father. Coryo despised Lucky, which implies that he eventually disposed of the man and later gave the job of host to his son instead. Just as Snow’s prequel dropped subtle clues about the characters of The Hunger Games, it would be interesting if Sunrise on the Reaping did something similar, filling in the details of Caesar’s role and moral alignment.

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Plutarch Heavensbee

Plutarch May Be A 50th Hunger Games Gamemaker

Plutarch Heavensbee became Head Gamemaker for the 75th Hunger Games after years of serving as an underling, but it was ultimately revealed that he was a rebel aiming to break the tributes out of the arena to join District 13. Little else is known about his life before this, but it seems likely that Sunrise on the Reaping will fill in at least some of the finer details.

Plutarch’s age is unknown, but it’s probable that he was already working as a Gamemaker during the 50th Hunger Games. It’s also unclear when the man became a rebel or when Haymitch learned of his involvement with District 13 and became a silent ally. In all, it’s certainly possible that the seeds of Plutarch and Haymitch’s rebellion were planted as far back as the 50th Games.

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Greasy Sae

Greasy Sae Had Been In District 12 As Long As Anyone Could Remember

In the Hunger Games movie, Greasy Sae is only briefly shown when she gives Katniss her gold Mockingjay pin at the Hob. However, this old woman was a far more prevalent character in the book. Greasy Sae was well known and respected by the citizens of District 12 since growing old under such conditions was no easy task. She kept her eye on the younger residents of the Seam, and after Katniss returned home in Mockingjay, Greasy Sae was tasked with caring for her.

Given Greasy Sae’s age, she would certainly have been around District 12 during the 50th Hunger Games, and since Haymitch is from the Seam, he surely knew the old woman in his youth. If she appeared in Sunrise on the Reaping, it would be interesting to learn more about her. Her character could also be valuable to the plot since there needs to be an explanation as to how she ended up with Maysilee’s Mockingjay pin in the movie’s version of events.

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Mags Flanagan

Mags Is A Mentor In The 50th Hunger Games

Mags was one of the tributes in the Third Quarter Quell, and Katniss developed a great deal of affection toward the old woman. She was the oldest surviving victor in The Hunger Games, having won the 11th Games (just after Lucy Gray won the 10th). This means she would have been a mentor in Haymitch’s 50th Hunger Games, serving whoever the four District 4 tributes would have been.

Mags would be about 56 in Sunrise on the Reaping, which is possibly before she suffered the stroke that garbled her speech. So, the prequel movie could be our first chance to actually hear Mags talk. Of course, Haymitch likely wouldn’t have had much to do with Mags until he became a Hunger Games mentor himself. So, if Mags is featured in the upcoming prequel book and movie, it may only be quick.

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Beetee Latier

Beetee Is A Mentor In The 50th Hunger Games

Beetee is another 75th Hunger Games tribute who would be a mentor in the 50th Hunger Games. Though it’s not known precisely which Games he had been the victor of, it’s believed it would have been before Haymitch’s. Beetee became victor when he used electrical traps to eliminate his opponents, earning him the nickname “Volts.”

Beetee and Haymitch were both rebels aware of the existence of District 13 in The Hunger Games, though it’s never explained in Katniss’ story how this came to be. Though it’s assumed that they were both wrapped into this plot closer to the events of the Second Quarter Quell, it’s certainly possible that Sunrise on the Reaping will begin to dive into how so many of the Hunger Games’ mentors came to be part of this secret movement.

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Chaff

Chaff Is A Mentor In The 50th Hunger Games

Haymitch introduces Katniss to Chaff in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and it is evident that the two men are close friends. They had a lot in common since they were both victors, mentors, and alcoholics. There isn’t much more known about this friendship, including how and when it began. However, since Chaff won the 45th Hunger Games, he should be around during Haymitch’s 50th Games victory.

Sunrise on the Reaping could see the beginning of this friendship develop, though it likely wouldn’t happen until after Haymitch wins the 50th Games. Chaff would be one of the mentors for the four District 11 tributes, and there isn’t typically much reason for tributes to interact with the mentors of other Districts. Still, if the upcoming Hunger Games prequel follows in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes‘s footsteps, Haymitch’s Games may only take up about half of the novel and film. Sunrise on the Reaping could dive into Haymitch’s life as a new mentor, which would most certainly include Chaff.