Summary
Author Suzanne Collins has anotherHunger Gamesbook on the way, but an ongoing victor trend hints that this will be the franchise’s final installment. The upcoming novel and movie, titledSunrise on the Reaping, will follow the events of the 50th Hunger Games, which were won by District 12’s Haymitch Abernathy. This is only one of many spinoff stories fans have been asking for, and hopes are still high that more prequels or sequels will follow. However, based on the existing formula ofThe Hunger Games, this may be our last visit to Panem.
Collins’Sunrise on the Reapingannouncementhas been a topic of great excitement, and the reveal that Lionsgate already has a movie adaptation in the works has only added to this. Haymitch’s games were described in some detail in theCatching Firebook, and this uniquely bloody event was begging for its own spinoff. Of course, this is far from the only intriguing story theHunger Gamesbooks didn’t get into. There have been requests for books and movies following Finnick, Joanna, District 13, and more. However, these may never come to be.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Movie Is Already Breaking A Massive Record
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping movie is already in development, and its confirmed to break a massive record thanks to its release date.
Each Hunger Games Book (Including Sunrise On The Reaping) Covers The Games Of District 12’s Tributes
Sunrise On The Reaping Solidifies The Hunger Games' Victor Trend
Collins has established a specific formula with herHunger Gamesbooks thatSunrise on the Reapingseems to have solidified. Throughout Panem’s history,fourHunger Games victorshave come from District 12—Lucy Gray Baird, Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen, and Peeta Mellark. Of course, Katniss and Peeta’s story was covered in the centralHunger Gamestrilogy. Lucy Gray’s 10th Hunger Games, in which Coriolanus Snow was a mentor, was the center ofThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Now, the last District 12 victor to get its own story, Haymitch, will be the center ofSunrise on the Reaping.
Prior to volunteering as a tribute in The Hunger Games, Katniss said that there had been precisely two District 12 tributes but that no one could remember who the first one was. It’s assumed that this was Lucy Gray, who was forgotten since the 10th Hunger Games weren’t televised in the Districts and the records were wiped in the Capitol.
Haymitch Is The Last District 12 Victor To Get Their Own Story
The 50th Hunger Games Will Fill In The Final Pieces Of Snow’s War With District 12’s Tributes
Though told out of order, the overarching story of Collins’Hunger Gamesfranchise now covers the victors of District 12, who each had a significant impact on President Snow’s rise to power and downfall. Lucy Gray’s supposed betrayal inThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesis why Snow began to believe in the Hunger Games rather than detest them, determining that humanity is dangerous and must be controlled. Katniss' story inThe Hunger Gamessaw Snow lose that control, all thanks to a District 12 girl who ignited a fire in the heart of his nation. Now,Haymitch’s story will be the final piece of the puzzle.
Catching Firealready revealed thatHaymitch won his gamesin a similar way to Katniss and Lucy Gray—by using the features of the arena against the Capitol. This enraged the president so much that he murdered all of Haymitch’s loved ones before he could even return to District 12. Since a victor’s friends and family were how Snow controlled them, it’s clear he took Haymitch’s victory very personally. Of course,Sunrise on the Reapingis sure to provide more context as to why, but the boy being from District 12 couldn’t have helped.
It certainly seems that the overarching story of theHunger Gamesfranchise is Snow’s personal war with District 12, beginning with Lucy Gray and ending with Katniss Everdeen.
It certainly seems that the overarching story of theHunger Gamesfranchise is Snow’s personal war with District 12, beginning withLucy Gray and ending with Katniss Everdeen. It will take the release ofSunrise on the Reapingto know how Haymitch fits into this, but the fact that he isthe last District 12 victor indicates that this will be the official end of the saga. Snow’s story will be poetically defined by the defiance of his lowest of slaves, and this perfectly serves the themes that Collins covered inThe Hunger Games.
Is Sunrise On The Reaping The Final Hunger Games Story?
More Hunger Games Stories Would Be Entertaining, But Might Not Serve The Overarching Themes Of The Series
Collins is a delightfully formulaic writer, with each of herHunger Gamesbooks following a familiar rhythm. The common denominator of these stories is now President Snow and District 12, but with Haymitch’s story now being told, there is nowhere else left to take this. Of course,other highly requested stories could feasibly be made into books or movies in the future. Finnick’s full tale would certainly be interesting, and there is a lot we don’t know about District 13. However, by diving into one of these concepts, Collins would be disrupting the poeticism of what she has established.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakeswas an intelligent addition to KatnissHunger Gamessince it retroactively provided context toSnow’s fixation on Katniss. His time with Lucy Gray explained how he came to believe that humanity deserved totalitarian control, somehow making the story ofThe Hunger Gameseven better.Sunrise on the Reapinghas the potential to do the same, adding to the impactful social commentary of Snow’s battle with District 12’s most surprising tributes. While other spinoffs would be fun,they wouldn’t achieve the same level of impact. More stories are certainly possible, butThe Hunger Gamesmay be more effective with this ending.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Cast
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping explores the dystopian world of Panem 24 years prior to Katniss Everdeen’s story. This prequel focuses on the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell, unveiling the origins of crucial events and traditions in the series.
