Spoilers for the book Sunrise on the Reaping will come up in this story. Read with caution.
Well, it’s happening! Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will return as Katniss and Peeta in The Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping. Now, fans of Suzanne Collins’ latest book knew that this might happen. However, even though Hutcherson said it’d be a “dream” to do it, it wasn’t a done deal. Well, now it is a done deal, and fans are absolutely losing their minds and posting some hilarious memes to illustrate their passionate feelings.
There’s been a swath of very exciting casting news in the lead-up to the release of Sunrise on the Reaping. However, I think confirming the return of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson might take the cake. They are the original Hunger Games stars, and fans had been eager to see them return for Haymitch’s prequel. So, obviously, they lost their minds when the news broke. For example, @sp1derg1rl posted:
This is possibly the best news I’ve ever heard in my life and I’m not even exaggerating.
Seriously, people, this is huge news that warrants big (and funny) reactions. It’s even meme-worthy, and fans made that abundantly clear through their reactions. Take @westsidesorry’s post as a great example, as they retweeted the news about Hutcherson and Lawrence and wrote:
Huge day for insane people like me
I’m 100% one of those people, seeing as I quite literally grew up with The Hunger Games. I think @MrsterStegen1 illustrated that idea brilliantly by way of meme as well, as they posted:
Personally, I referenced the “I’m so sat” meme with my friends when I learned about this massive development regarding the upcoming book-to-screen adaptation. Meanwhile, others used the joke where you compare one pop culture phenomenon to another to express just how big a deal this is. Using that meme brilliantly, @buffys posted:
For non Hunger Games fans this is like Rihanna returning to music.
Other fans harnessed major movie moments to convey the enormity of a return like this. For example, gio SOTR spoilers compared Katniss and Peeta coming back to a major moment in Avengers: Endgame:
When I see them on my screen I’m gonna react worse than the Marvel bros did at the Avengers Endgame portals scene I’m telling you now
I know I’ll be applauding when they show up, and that’s in part because we’ll see Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson on screen. However, it’s also because they’ll likely return during one of the only happy(ish) moments in Sunrise on the Reaping.
In the book, Katniss and Peeta are only in the epilogue, as Haymitch reflects on his time during The Hunger Games. I assume that’s how they’ll be involved in the project on the 2026 movie schedule too, and fans cannot wait to see it, as @FINlCK posted:
Sunrise on the Reaping is gonna be THE event of 2026 and not even a single person will be safe the moment I walk out of that cinema
Truly, this is a very, very exciting development that amplifies the hype for Sunrise on the Reaping. While the cast was already stacked and we knew the story was solid based on the book, having a direct tie to The Hunger Games makes it even better. In the words of @koralinadean:
I love when I’m the fan being serviced #lovewins
Me too! However, I do feel like it’s worth noting that while this casting is fan service in a way, it also serves as a valuable and beautiful moment of closure in Haymitch’s story. Therefore, it felt vital to have these two actors return to their roles for Sunrise on the Reaping.
Now, they really are too! So, get excited, everyone, because Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will be back as Katniss and Peeta, and you can see them and the rest of the Sunrise on the Reaping cast on the big screen on November 20, 2026.
