Kelvin Harrison Jr. cast as Beetee in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’

Kelvin Harrison Jr. has officially joined the cast of Lionsgate’s upcoming Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, taking on the role of Beetee, the tech-savvy victor of the 34th Hunger Games. The role was originally portrayed by Jeffrey Wright in the main film series.

The film, based on Suzanne Collins' latest bestselling novel, is set 24 years before the events of the original Hunger Games and centres on a young Haymitch Abernathy. Joseph Zada stars as Haymitch, with Whitney Peak playing his girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird. Francis Lawrence, who directed previous Hunger Games instalments, returns to helm the project.

Other cast members include Mckenna Grace and Jesse Plemons, as Lionsgate continues to build anticipation around the film.

Harrison’s recent work includes portraying Fred Hampton in The Trial of the Chicago 7, B.B. King in Elvis, and Martin Luther King Jr. in Genius: MLK/X . He also voiced the character Scar, in Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King and is set to play Jean-Michel Basquiat in the upcoming Samo Lives, where he will serve as executive producer.

Sunrise on the Reaping follows the young Haymitch as he navigates the brutal reality of the 50th Hunger Games, laying the foundation for his hardened character seen in the original series. Woody Harrelson originally played Haymitch in the earlier films.

The film is being produced by Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, with a script by Billy Ray. Meredith Wieck and Scott O’Brien are overseeing production for Lionsgate.