If you’re still dreaming about the world of The Hunger Games and wondering if Katniss Everdeen will return, you’re not alone. With the Hunger Games franchise making a comeback, fans everywhere are asking: Can we expect Jennifer Lawrence to step back into Katniss’ boots?
Let’s be real—she made that character legendary. And with the release of a new movie set in the same universe, anything is possible, right? Lionsgate announced another prequel movie, based on a brand-new book called Sunrise on the Reaping, coming in 2026.
While this film focuses on events that take place long before Katniss even existed, it’s still got us wondering if the iconic heroine could return to the screen. After all, JLaw has made it clear she’s open to revisiting the character.
When Did Katniss Everdeen’s Story End?
Katniss Everdeen’s journey in the original Hunger Games series wrapped up with Mockingjay – Part 2 in 2015. By the end, she’d taken down President Snow, found peace with Peeta, and—kind of—got a happy ending.
The movie closed the chapter on Katniss’s fight for survival, and the audience was left with a sense of closure. But the world of Panem didn’t magically fix itself overnight. In fact, life after the revolution was still a mess. We never really got to see how Katniss handled life after the war.
Then, Suzanne Collins released The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in 2020, which shifted the focus away from Katniss and toward a younger Coriolanus Snow. That book, which later became a movie in 2023, was set long before Katniss ever entered the picture.
While The Ballad was a hit and brought the franchise back into the spotlight, fans couldn’t help but wonder if there was still more story to tell about Katniss and the world she fought so hard to change. The Hunger Games universe is huge, and there are still plenty of unanswered questions.
What’s the New Hunger Games Movie About?
The upcoming film, based on the book Sunrise on the Reaping (out in 2025), is set before Katniss’s time and is all about the events leading up to the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
This is way before Katniss was born, so don’t expect to see her here. But this prequel will still be important because it introduces us to characters like a younger Haymitch Abernathy, who we already know from the original series.
In the original Hunger Games, Haymitch was the mentor who helped Katniss and Peeta survive the Games. His journey—surviving the Games himself—will be a big part of this story.
Set roughly 24 years before Katniss’s first Hunger Games, Sunrise on the Reaping will dive into the events that shaped Panem into the world we came to know in the original trilogy. It’s going to explore new tributes, and new dynamics, and maybe even introduce us to new characters who could shape the future of the series.
But if you were hoping to see Katniss, this movie won’t be the place for that—she’s not around yet. Still, the way this story fits into the timeline makes it a key chapter for the Hunger Games universe.
Jennifer Lawrence Is Open to Returning to the Hunger Games Franchise
Now, you’re probably thinking, Okay, so Katniss won’t be in this prequel, but could she show up somehow in the future? Well, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Jennifer Lawrence herself has said she’d be totally down to return as The Girl on Fire. In a 2023 interview with Variety, she made it clear that if the opportunity came up, she would absolutely be interested in reprising the role, saying:
If Katniss ever could ever come back into my life, 100 percent.
And honestly, how could we not get excited by that? While this new film is set before Katniss’ time, that doesn’t mean she couldn’t show up in a later installment or in a surprise cameo.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise of the Reaping is set to release on Nov. 20, 2026!
Frequently asked questions
Will Jennifer Lawrence appear in the new Hunger Games movie, Sunrise on the Reaping?
No. As the article explains, Jennifer Lawrence is not expected in the prequel because Sunrise on the Reaping is set roughly 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s first Hunger Games, long before her character is even born. Lawrence made Katniss iconic across the original films, but the new movie focuses on an earlier era of Panem rather than her timeline.
Has Jennifer Lawrence said she would return to the Hunger Games franchise?
Yes. The article notes that in a 2023 Variety interview, Lawrence said she would be open to playing Katniss again, stating that if the character ever came back into her life, she would be on board ‘100 percent.’ That leaves the door open for a possible future return or cameo, even though she is not part of this prequel.
What is The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping about?
The article describes it as a Lionsgate prequel based on Suzanne Collins’ book Sunrise on the Reaping, centered on the events leading up to the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. Set about 24 years before Katniss’s first Games, it spotlights a younger Haymitch Abernathy and explores how Panem became the world seen in the original trilogy. The piece notes the film is currently slated to release on Nov. 20, 2026.
