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If all of our interviews with the Sunrise on the Reaping cast have told us anything, it's that this is going to be one emotional movie. And Hunger Games producer Brad Simpson just confirmed that if you love the Catching Fire adaptation, you can expect to love the new movie too.
Here's what Brad Simpson had to say about Sunrise on the Reaping before it hits theaters on November 20, 2026.
Brad Simpson teases "incredibly emotional" 'Hunger Games' movie.
"I think that this movie is an incredibly emotional movie," he shares with Brit + Co exclusively. "I think it is akin in a lot of ways to Catching Fire, which is, for a lot of people, one of the fan favorites and you are on an incredibly emotional journey."
And not only is it emotional, but it's also incredibly complex because this is a prequel, which means you already know more about the story than you realize.
"You also are the beginning of a journey that you know where it ends, which is interesting," Simpson continues. "I also think for casual fans, for people who have seen the movies and like them, it really works as just a great emotional film that tells an incredible story. I think it's going to be satisfying for both, and that's what I think is magic about the film."
Lionsgate
Not only can we expect to get emotional during the new movie (I actually cried so hard reading the book I had mascara trails down my face), but we can also expect to feel empowered.
"Being in this film, it's the most life-changing experience," Joseph Zada (Haymitch Abernathy) says in a recent featurette. "And this story really hits home that your involvement, even as insignificant as you think it may be, has the power to change things over time."
"This film tracks the loss of innocence, but also the ignition of his revolutionary spirit," Ben Wang (Wyatt Callow) adds.
"All of a sudden there's a little sliver of hope," says Jesse Plemons, who's starring as a younger Plutarch Heavensbee, the leader of the revolution in Mockingjay. "Just seeing all the fire that this kid has inside of him."
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