Sunrise On The Reaping: The Origin of a Mentor

Yesterday news broke that Suzanne Collin’s has another Hunger Games prequel titled Sunrise On The Reaping coming out on March 18^th 2025. As you know Hollywood wasted no time in getting the rights to Suzanne’s novel as the movie version of Sunrise On The Reaping will come out a year later in 2026. Now judging by the title of this blog post, you are wondering, which popular character will have an origin story this time around? After all we did get an origin story of Snow before the events of Katniss (both the book & movie didn’t do that well and quite honestly for me the book fell short). The answer to your question is we will have the origin story for Haymitch Abernathy. Yes that same Haymitch Abernathy who was Katniss & Peeta’s mentor for District 12.

What will the plot be about?

According to Forbes.com, The Sunrise on the Reaping will revisit Panem 24 years before The Hunger Games. It will center on the 50th Hunger Games (the Second Quarter Quell), which saw District 12’s Haymitch Abernathy crowned as the winner.  In Catching Fire Haymitch Abernathy’s backstory was briefly touched on, how he won the Quarter Quell and how when it came down to him and Maysilee Donner both from district twelve formed an alliance. When it came down to 5 of the tributes, Maysilee chose to go her own way so she wouldn’t have to kill Haymitch. Unfortunately for Maysilee she was killed by bird mutts. We also know Snow killed Haytmitch’s mother, brother & girlfriend after Haymitch used the force field to kill the last tribute from district 1 with her ax. Snow did this to make an example out of Haymitch & because of this Haymitch turned to alcohol.

What Suzanne Collins said Inspired the Story

Also according to Forbes.com, Suzanne Collins had this to say about what inspired Haymitch’s backstory.

“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 wrote in a statement. “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.”

My Thoughts

I know, I know, I should know better. I’m the biggest proponent that when something is overdone, it’s time to move on. That if you want to do more things with different characters in that universe don’t wait several years.  My feelings on this are torn. For the very fact that, yes, it is time to move on before the franchise is ruined, at the same time I really like Haymitch Abernathy as a character in both the books and films. I do hope that both the book & film does Haymitch justice & that it doesn’t turn into another repeat of Snow’s story or worse Boba Fett’s story in the Boba Fett television series where they butchered the character. Time will tell.