Summary
The Hunger Games:Sunrise on the Reapinglooks poised to face the same stakes problems asThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Recently announced as a new installment in Suzanne Collins' series of novels,Sunrise on the Reapingwill focus on the 50th Hunger Games, which were one of the bloodiest and most exciting games in Panem’s history. Following the announcement of the new book, Lionsgate confirmed that the studio will be making amovie adaptation ofSunrise on the Reaping.
Despite theHunger Gamesignoring one of the franchise’s most exciting prequel ideas,Sunrise on the Reapingmight still be as successful as the other books in the series.Sunrise on the Reapingwill once again give audiences a chance to see more of what transpired in Panem before Katniss and Peeta took part in the games. Although there are similarities betweenSunrise on the Reapingand the previousHunger Gamesprequel in terms of the stakes involved,Sunrise on the Reapinghas already broken a massive record.
10 Biggest Hunger Games Moments That Could Appear In The New Prequel
The new Hunger Games prequel may include moments alluded to in the previous books as it depicts Haymitch’s victory in the arena and events afterward.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Already Has A Huge Stakes Problem
Audiences Are Already Aware Of How The Story Will End
Though the premise is promising,The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reapingwill be presented with a challenge not unlike the one faced byThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.Sunrise on the Reapingwill focus on another District 12 victor, Haymitch Abernathy. DespiteSunrise on the Reapingfocusing on a different character,the new installment still has a stakes issue. Admittedly, Haymitch is an interesting character, but also an existing piece of the lore, which puts an unfortunate restriction on where his story can go.
Sunrise on the Reapingwill be published on July 01, 2025.
The newHunger Gamesprequel will explore the bloodiest games in historyas the new book chronicles the events of the Second Quarter Quell, which had twice as many tributes in the games. However, audiences are already aware of how Haymitch won the 50th Hunger Games and what happened next.The knowledge of who the winner was and how he won the 50th Hunger Games takes away the excitement factorand makes the new book feel limited.
In 2020,The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesfaced a similar stakes problem toSunrise on the Reaping. Before Katniss volunteered for the Hunger Games, she mentioned that there had been two District 12 victors: Haymitch and another victor no one could remember. WhenThe Ballads of Songbirds and Snakeswas released, it was already clear that Lucy Gray would win the games because of what Katniss had said. Like Haymitch, Lucy Gray was a compelling character,but that doesn’t change the fact that knowing what will happen in the end makes her story a little less interesting.
TheSunrise on the Reapingmovie is set to be released on July 16, 2025.
There is a key distinction to be made between the two prequels. While audiences already know how and who won the 50th Hunger Games, the same can’t be said for the 10th Hunger Games. Lucy Gray’s story still held a bit of mystery becauseher games were not televised and all records of the 10th Hunger Games were wiped. So audiences might have known that the 10th Hunger Games were won by a District 12 tribute, but the way Lucy Gray won them was still a mystery.
Continuing The Hunger Games Through Prequels Limits How Much Suzanne Collins Can Do
A Hunger Games Sequel Might Be Possible
The newHunger Gamesprequel has shown that there is a trend the franchise refuses to break, which in a way limits what Suzanne Collins can do with the story. One of the reasons the franchise has been successful is becauseCollins’ prequels have continued to focus on the games, but there are only so many times that the series can delve into the past before it becomes tedious. Despite the prequels being limiting, they have also proven whySuzanne Collins can never write aHunger Gamessequel.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
June 29, 2025
The Hunger Games ended with Katniss and Peeta, so continuing the series without the games just doesn’t seem like it would work,which explains why Collins’ new books have been prequels. However, that doesn’t mean that Collins can’t take the franchise in a new direction. There’s no denying thatThe Hunger Games:Sunrise on the Reapingfaces a huge stakes problem, but Collins can continue theHunger Gamesbooksby focusing on a very distant future after Peeta and Katniss’ story ends.
