BILLY RAY ATTACHED TO WRITE HUNGER GAMES PREQUEL SCREENPLAY

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Summary

  • Lionsgate has secured Billy Ray to write the screenplay for the film adaptation of Sunrise on the Reaping.
  • Ray previously worked on the first Hunger Games film and has a good understanding of author Suzanne Collins’ vision.
  • Filming for “Sunrise on the Reaping” is set to begin in 2025 for a late 2026 release, expanding the franchise lore.

The film adaptation of “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” based on the book, has been in progress at Lionsgate for some time, even though it’s just two weeks old on shelves. Now, the project has added another crucial element to its adaptation process with a familiar face attached to it.

The popular “Hunger Games” franchise was developed by author Suzanne Collins, whose young adult novel blossomed into a comprehensive book series and subsequently a movie series starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. The initial movie series was an enormous hit, shattering box office records and generating anticipation for additional installments despite exhausting the main storylines from the books. Consequently, Collins’ intellectual property has expanded to encompass a prequel and another “Hunger Games” adaptation in a fresh medium. Lately, the writer has completed work on a second prequel novel, set around the time of the first book and movie.

After the highly anticipated release and movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, her next book, “Sunrise on the Reaping”, has been swiftly acquired by Lionsgate for a film adaptation even before it was fully written. Now, following the March 18 publication of “Sunrise on the Reaping”, an update on the upcoming movie project has emerged. According to TheWrap, Billy Ray, the screenwriter behind films like “Captain Phillips”, “Overlord”, and “Terminator: Dark Fate”, has been assigned to write the script for “Sunrise on the Reaping”. Remarkably, Ray previously co-wrote the screenplay for the first film adaptation of “The Hunger Games” and will be working alongside director Francis Lawrence, who has helmed all films in the series since the second installment. Given the film’s potential to delve deeper into the franchise’s lore on the silver screen, few could argue that Ray and Lawrence are not the ideal choices for this task.

Fans can look forward to Ray’s comeback to the franchise, as his contribution to the first movie is more significant than they might think. Interestingly, Collins, the original author, personally collaborated on the screenplay for the first film with Ray and the director. This collaboration provides Ray with valuable insights into Collins’ writing process and her preferences. Having the writer aboard is a positive indication for the project, suggesting that production is probably progressing as scheduled. It’s worth noting that preparations for Sunrise on the Reaping have been underway even before the official announcement, and Lawrence confirmed that filming will commence in 2025, aiming for a release in late 2026.

Following the publication of “Sunrise at the Harvest” and the upcoming film adaptation slated for this year, Suzanne Collins has several paths to explore for her intellectual property. One potential route could be a project centering around or heavily featuring Peeta, given that franchise lead Josh Hutcherson is interested in revisiting the “Hunger Games” universe – but only if there’s a novel to base it on. Whether this is the next step or something else is under wraps, but for now, fans can anticipate reading and then watching “Sunrise at the Harvest” when the movie releases next year.

The movie series based on “The Hunger Games” books can be streamed on Netflix, while the film “Sunrise on the Reaping” is scheduled for a theater release on November 20, 2026.

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2025-04-02 16:44