By Kaitlyn Rodriguez
The anticipated wait for the fifth book in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, Sunrise on the Reaping, is soon to be over, with it releasing on March 18, 2025. You can expect the movie to be released by November 2026.
Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the first Hunger Games novel. This story will follow the 50th Hunger Games, where Katniss Everdeen’s future mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, is the first winner out of District 12 before Katniss, competing in the annual games.
The Hunger Games occur every year, and children compete against each other to try to survive. Each district holds a reaping and picks names out of a jar, with one boy and one girl from each district. Whoever is picked must participate, knowing that they have a higher chance of death with only one survivor who can win it all. The games are solely for the Capitol citizens’ entertainment and as a reminder of the past failed rebellion.
Many Hunger Games fans have been excited ever since it was revealed there would be another book in the series, especially since it will cover Haymitch’s experience. Throughout the years, many have wanted and wished for a book or movie to see what the character went through during his time competing, as well as wanting more of a back story.
The 50th Hunger Games is special considering it is a “Quarter Quell,” which happens every 25 years with different challenges and double the amount of tributes from each district, all while being in Haymitch’s perspective.
The Hunger Games was the first book in a trilogy that came out in 2008. The second book, Catching Fire, followed in 2009, and the third, Mockingjay, published in 2010. The series quickly blew up and is known as one of the best in the dystopian genre.
In 2015, Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games series, said, “Having spent the last decade in Panem, it’s time to move on to other lands.”
Collins was stepping away from the series, leaving many fans to think this was finally the end. However, in 2020, Collins went right back to it and released a prequel to the trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
The series will now also include five films that capture most details in each of the books. The series is the 20th-highest-grossing film franchise of all time and has left an impact on many readers.
“The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative,” said Collins. “The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day.”
“I’ve always wanted to learn about what Haymitch went through with his games, so I am super excited for both the book and the movie to come out,” said Ashley Field, a senior marketing major at The University of Tampa.
The cover of the novel was released back in October, and it aligns with the covers from the previous Hunger Games novels. For this cover, it includes a serpent linked with a songbird with a purple background and was created by artist Tim O’Brien.
The cover symbolizes how conflicting forces can be connected by their common nature, like the songbird and the snake springing from the same source, said David Levithan, the vice president, publisher, and editorial director of Scholastic, on The Today Show.
The novel will be very different from the past books in the series. This one will cover the second Quarter Quell, keeping fans intrigued about what twists will be revealed this time.
–
Photo Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter & Scholastic.