McKenna Grace has been cast as District 12 tribute Maysilee Donner in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the upcoming prequel set 24 years before the original series. She’ll star alongside Joseph Zada, who plays a young Haymitch Abernathy—the future mentor to Katniss Everdeen, originally portrayed by Woody Harrelson.
The film, directed by franchise veteran Francis Lawrence (Catching Fire), adapts Suzanne Collins’ 2025 novel and explores Haymitch’s brutal journey in the 50th Hunger Games. Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl) will portray Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s romantic interest and a distant relative of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes character Lucy Gray Baird.
Grace, known for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Captain Marvel, joins a cast tasked with expanding Panem’s lore. Zada, a newcomer, steps into Haymitch’s iconic role during the Second Quarter Quell, where tributes face heightened stakes. The story delves into Maysilee’s alliance with Haymitch, briefly referenced in Catching Fire as a pivotal but tragic figure.
Slated for a November 20, 2026 release, the prequel follows 2023’s Songbirds and Snakes, which chronicled President Snow’s origins. Screenwriter Billy Ray (The Hunger Games) returns to adapt Collins’ latest novel, produced by Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson. Grace’s upcoming projects include Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and Scream 7, positioning her as a rising genre star.
