Was Jennifer Lawrence always meant to be Katniss?

More than a decade after The Hunger Games hit cinemas, casting director Debra Zane is peeling back the curtain on the decision that defined a generation: choosing Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. While Lawrence is now inseparable from the role, it turns out her casting was far from guaranteed, especially with every major young actress in Hollywood chasing the part.

Speaking to Teen Vogue, Zane said the choice was less about fame and more about instinct. “It’s hard to explain. It’s gut instinct,” she shared. Lawrence had just earned serious critical acclaim for Winter’s Bone, with Oscar buzz swirling around her name, but Zane wasn't impressed by hype alone. “She just was Katniss,” she explained, adding that casting is often about finding the most emotionally layered performance, even when it’s unexpected. “That’s the most exciting part, when someone exceeds what you imagined.”

Zane’s longtime casting partner, Dylan Jury, also reflected on the process behind Sunrise on the Reaping, the newest instalment in the franchise. Unlike previous films, this one was cast while the book was still being written. “That made it very crazy and challenging for different reasons,” Jury said.

Fan buzz has been especially strong around Maya Hawke’s casting as Wiress, which Zane proudly called a perfect match. As for Whitney Peak, cast as Lenore Dove, it was her chemistry with co-star Joe that sealed the deal. A test shoot captured on an iPhone gave Zane a sudden, intuitive certainty. “We were shooting them on an iPhone and Dylan was operating the iPhone and I was peeking over his shoulder into the screen and could just… it was really like, Oof. You know?!”

Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the original story and features a star-studded cast including Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, and Glenn Close. It premieres on 20 November 2026.