American author Suzanne Collins recently published Sunrise on the Reaping, a new addition to her well-known series The Hunger Games. Fans of the series have shared interest in the character Haymitch Abernathy, victor of the 50th Hunger Games and mentor to the main characters Katniss and Peeta in the original trilogy.

Following the final novel in the original trilogy, Suzanne Collins took a break from the series. During this period, film adaptations of the three books were made. These film adaptations were extremely successful and further expanded the fanbase. In 2020, Collins returned to the series and published The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to the original trilogy. This novel followed the early life of Panem President Coriolanus Snow and was adapted into a film just three years following the release of the novel. 

Haymitch’s long awaited story was published on March 18, 2025, and is planned to be brought to the big screen on November 20, 2026. Following the publication of the Sunrise on the Reaping, the second prequel in the series, the majority of the fanbase were devastated by the brutality shown throughout the book. 

Sunrise on the Reaping shares parallels with the other books in the series including District 12’s Covey family, the reveal of Maysilee Donner as the original owner of the Mockingjay pin which later became the face of the rebellion in the original trilogy, as well as Haymitch and Katniss both outsmarting the Capitol and weaponizing the force field during their time in the arena. These correlations cause the readers to understand the reasoning behind Collins’ publishing order and showing how the original trilogy served as the series’ basis before expanding and sharing the reality of the games and life of victor’s before the rebellion changed everything. 

Sunrise on the Reaping has received an impressive amount of positive feedback from readers regardless of the tragic and brutal themes the story followed. Collins’ past film adaptations have been applauded upon by many due to the casting decisions, loyalty to the books’ themes, as well as many other aspects of the film’s creation. 

As a result of the positive responses from readers and Collins’ reputation with film adaptations, the 2026 release of the film adaptation of Sunrise on the Reaping is highly anticipated by the vast majority of the book and movies’ fanbase.