Ralph Fiennes cast as President Snow in Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping

Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes joins Hunger Games prequel as young President Snow, exploring Panem’s dark history.

Ralph Fiennes has been officially cast as the notorious President Coriolanus Snow in Lionsgate’s upcoming prequel The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, according to an announcement from the studio. Fiennes, who recently earned his third Oscar nomination for Conclave, will take over the role previously portrayed by the late Donald Sutherland, who died in June 2024 at the age of 88.

The new film, based on Suzanne Collins’ latest novel published on March 18, takes viewers back 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, focusing on the 50th Hunger Games — also known as the Second Quarter Quell. The story follows a 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, who is selected as a tribute from District 12. This brutal version of the games includes a significant twist: 48 tributes will enter the arena, doubling the usual count and raising the stakes.

 

 

 

 

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Producer Nina Jacobson of Color Force commented on the casting, stating, “We wanted to honor Donald Sutherland by having one of this generation’s greatest actors play President Snow… It’s genuinely a thrill to welcome [Fiennes] to The Hunger Games.”

Francis Lawrence returns to direct from a screenplay by Billy Ray. The cast includes Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird, Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee, Maya Hawke as Wiress, Lili Taylor as Mags, and Ben Wang as Wyatt Callow. The film is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026.

Produced by Jacobson and Brad Simpson with Cameron MacConomy executive producing, the film continues the legacy of a franchise that has grossed over $3.3 billion globally.