Courtesy of Lionsgate
A new dawn is rising in "The Hunger Games" universe (literally).
"The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" is set to hit theaters on November 20, taking fans back into the world of Panem. This time, they will see it through the eyes of a young Haymitch Abernathy as he competes as a District 12 tribute 24 years before the events of Suzanne Collins' original trilogy.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the film since it was first announced in 2024, before the novel it is based on was even published.
Now, a little under a month before it premieres, the film's arrival is feeling more and more real. Tickets finally went on sale on Wednesday, and the same day, Jennifer Lawrence confirmed she'll be reprising her role as Katniss Everdeen in the film, alongside Woody Harrelson and Josh Hutcherson.
Here's everything we know about the movie so far.
"Sunrise on the Reaping" was published in March 2025, and it is the second prequel to Collins' immensely popular dystopian series, following the 2020 release of "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." Like "Ballad," the latest installment reveals key lore about the world of Panem, while staying true to the heart of Collins' original works.
Lionsgate announced it would adapt the story into a feature film, following the success of the "Ballad" adaptation, in conjunction with the novel's June 2024 announcement.
Scholastic
At the time, Deadline reported that the film, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping," would be released on November 20, 2026. The film officially premieres on the 20th, though some fans were able to secure advanced screening tickets for November 18 and 19 at select theaters.
Francis Lawrence, the filmmaker who helmed every movie in the series except the 2012 original, directed the movie from a script adapted by Billy Ray.
Nina Jacobson and her producing partner, Brad Simpson, returned to produce the prequel under their Color Force banner. Jacobson told Variety in March 2025 that her team already had "a great draft" of the script and set filming locations before the book was even released.
"Sunrise on the Reaping" has a massive cast, largely because Haymitch is reaped into the second Quarter Quell. The 50th Hunger Games has twice as many tributes competing, meaning 48 children from the districts are sent to the arena instead of 24.
In addition, the novel introduces readers to characters in District 12 with connections to the other books in the series and features appearances by "Hunger Games" favorites such as Effie Trinket and Plutarch Heavensbee.
Lionsgate revealed the film's cast on social media, showing snippets of the characters' introductions in the novel as they burst into flame, revealing the actors portraying them.
The film's star, Zada, is a relative newcomer with a handful of roles to his name. In March 2025, Jacobson told Variety her team was looking for an actor who could bring the same "mischief" Woody Harrelson brought to the role in the original trilogy without "impersonating" him.
Courtesy of Lionsgate
"You want somebody who very credibly feels like they could be a young version of this character, before the trauma and grief and rage that the fallout of the Games create," Jacobson said. "Nobody can be Woody Harrelson, but Woody Harrelson."
Of the roles announced, Fiennes' and Fanning's castings arguably generated the most buzz.
Fiennes, who is no stranger to film franchises after playing Voldemort in the "Harry Potter" films, will be offering the third cinematic iteration of President Coriolanus Snow.
Courtesy of Lionsgate
Donald Sutherland originated the role of the aging villain in the three original "Hunger Games" films, and fans saw Tom Blyth's portrayal of Snow as a young man in the first prequel. Snow is the primary antagonist in "Sunrise on the Reaping," as he is in the original trilogy, and he makes some chilling appearances in the novel.
Elizabeth Banks played Effie Trinket, Katniss and Peeta's handler from the Capitol, in the original "Hunger Games" trilogy, and the character appears as a young stylist in "Sunrise on the Reaping." Fans were eager to see who would step into Banks' shoes because her performance was so beloved in the films, and Fanning's casting was met with overwhelming excitement.
Murray Close/Lionsgate/
Plemons will take over the role of Plutarch for Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jeffrey Wright played Beetee Latier before Kelvin Harrison Jr. Interestingly, both Plemons and Harrison previously played Hoffman's and Wright's children in other projects. Plemons was Hoffman's son in the 2012 film "The Master," and Harrison was Wright's son in "Monster," released in 2018.
Lawrence announced that filming for the project was set to begin in July 2025 at CinemaCon in April 2025, and Zada and Grace were spotted together in Spain that month.
On November 20, 2025, Lionsgate shared an official teaser trailer for the film to celebrate one year until its release.
It gave viewers a glimpse of the arena for the 50th Hunger Games, showing Zada as Haymitch standing on a podium alongside his fellow tributes in a picturesque, hilly countryside.
Importantly, the teaser showed Lenore Dove giving Haymitch a striker with a bird on one end and a snake on the other. The striker plays an important role in the book, was illustrated on the book's cover, and was unveiled as the official logo for the film in a teaser clip released in April 2025, making its appearance exciting for fans of the text.
Both the teaser trailer and teaser clip ended with Harrelson's voice saying, "I think these games are gonna be different."
On April 13, 2026, Lionsgate released the first full-length trailer for the film. It offered a more comprehensive look at the film's plot, focusing on Haymitch's reaping and his time at the Capitol before the Hunger Games actually begin.
Clips of some of the book's biggest moments appeared in the trailer, including a chariot crash during the parade of tributes, Haymitch's live TV interview before he enters the arena, and a private conversation between Haymitch and President Snow.
The trailer is also stacked with appearances from the star-studded cast. It features Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, the role Stanley Tucci played in the original trilogy, and Maya Hawke as a younger, less traumatized version of Wiress, an ally to Katniss in the 75th Quarter Quell and a mentor to Haymitch in the 50th.
Hawke as Wiress offers one of the most chilling lines in the trailer: "The arena, it's a killing machine. But all machines can be broken."
Lionsgate also released a video introducing Haymitch to viewers on July 4, which is both Reaping Day in the "Hunger Games" universe and Haymitch's birthday. It includes clips from the movie, as well as commentary from Lawrence, Jacobson, and Zada on Haymitch as a character.
Finally, the studio shared a second full-length trailer for the movie on September 16, a little over two months before the film's premiere. "Witness the beginning of a revolution," the official "The Hunger Games" Instagram account captioned the trailer.
The trailer gives a closer look at Haymitch's experience in the Capitol and the arena after he is reaped for the Games, showing glimpses of his disastrous tribute parade and his work to dismantle the arena from the inside as he competes.
It also tees up his conflict with President Snow more directly than the other trailers. In one clip, Haymitch looks directly at Snow and claps in a silent stadium, the lone voice of dissent as Capitol loyalists look on in horror at this small act of rebellion (and, in Plutarch Heavensbee's case, in awe).
Alongside the trailer, Lionsgate also released two posters for the film, coining the slogan, "Challenge authority. Capitalize power."
Courtesy of Lionsgate
The tributes from District 12 pose under "challenge authority," while people from the Capitol, like Snow and Heavensbee, are on the "capitalize" poster.
Since the book the movie is based on was released, fans have wondered if the film will include the epilogue from "Sunrise on the Reaping."
The epilogue takes place in District 12 after the events of "Mockingjay," with Haymitch telling Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark about his childhood and time in the arena.
In December 2025, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson would be reprising their roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in "Sunrise on the Reaping," though the outlet didn't say whether Harrelson would return alongside them or how they would appear in the film.
On October 28, Lawrence confirmed she will appear in the film, alongside Hutcherson and Harrelson, to the delight of fans.
Murray Close/Getty Images
On the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, host Alex Cooper asked Lawrence what it was like to step into Katniss' shoes again, and Lawrence replied that it was "unbelievable."
"It was so crazy because it was the same crew," she said. "It was the same camera guys, the same AD, who I've worked with a million times too because I love him, and Josh and Woody."
"It was so emotional. Josh and I, like, didn't walk to the bathroom without our arms around each other," she added. "And Woody obviously came through the window of my hotel room uninvited cause it would not be the same. It wouldn't be the same if he listened to boundaries and used a door."
Lawrence didn't reveal any details about her appearance in the film, but "Hunger Games" adaptations have historically been fairly loyal to Collins' book, making it safe to assume the trio will be depicted in some form of the epilogue.
Paris 2024 Olympic champion Erislandy Álvarez (65 kg) will headline Cuba’s squad for the Guizhou International Boxing Tournament, to be held in China from November 3 to 12.
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The Cuban delegation will consist of seven men and six women, according to national commissioner Robinson Poll, as reported by the digital publication Jit.
Álvarez returns to competition following his recovery from a surgical procedure that kept him out of the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo and the recent Continental Championship in Puebla. The 2023 Tashkent World Championship silver medalist leads a team aiming to continue Cuba’s strong performance in this international event.
In the men’s division, alongside Álvarez, the roster includes Ángel Sober (50 kg), Deibys Abreu (55 kg), Rolando Martínez (60 kg), Keilor García (80 kg), Fredisney Morales (90 kg), and Joel Duvergel (+90 kg).
The women’s squad features Dayira Mesa (70 kg)—a champion at the 2026 Santo Domingo Games—as well as bronze medalists from that same regional event: Dinaibys de las Nieves (51 kg), Carysney García (54 kg), Magda Massó (57 kg), and Keilor García (80 kg). Rounding out the team are Melani Girado (60 kg) and Naybel Morado (75 kg).
Reaparecerá Erislandy Álvarez en torneo de Guizhou
— JIT Deporte Cubano (@jit_digital) October 27, 2026
Encabeza la escuadra de siete hombres y seis féminas inscrita por #Cuba. #InderCuba65 #BoxeoCubano #boxeo #SiempreXCubahttps://t.co/lTM5ndjEUS
The text reads, “Erislandy Álvarez to reappear at Guizhou tournament
He leads the squad of seven men and six women entered by #Cuba.”
The squad will train under the guidance of coaches Julián González Cedeño, Fermín Espinoza, and Yuri Echevarría. In the previous edition of the tournament, Cuba secured three gold titles—won by Saidel Horta (57 kg), Jorge Cuéllar (71 kg), and Nelson Williams (92 kg)—along with two bronze medals, earned by Arianne Imbert (66 kg) and Yoana Rodríguez (75 kg).
The 2026 Guizhou International Boxing Tournament marks the competitive return of Erislandy Álvarez and offers a new opportunity for Cuban boxing to achieve international success in China.
#Cuba | Cuba is moving forward with reforms to give state-owned enterprises greater autonomy, attract investment, and boost production amid energy shortages and US sanctions.
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 21, 2026
The measures aim to modernize the economy while preserving public control of strategic sectors.… pic.twitter.com/DUCF3XxafR
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Quarta edição do evento escolar de Albufeira tem novamente o apoio do Comité Olímpico de Portugal e do IPDJ e termina a 21 de outubro, na Escola Básica da Guia. «Nos dois primeiros dias passaram cerca de 2 500 participantes pelo Estádio Municipal de Albufeira. Experimentaram modalidades individuais e coletivas com técnicos de clubes locais […]
“Nos dois primeiros dias passaram cerca de 2.500 participantes pelo Estádio Municipal de Albufeira, ONDE Experimentaram modalidades individuais e coletivas com técnicos de clubes locais e federações nacionais. Vestiram a farda de bombeiro, viram por dentro veículos da GNR e interagiram com os parceiros nas áreas da ciência, ambiente, natureza, empreendedorismo, cidadania e skills sociais. É isto que os ‘ANT GAMES’ fazem: juntam pessoas e instituições locais, regionais e nacionais e dão acesso inclusivo e multidisciplinar a todas estas crianças e jovens”, afirma André Lima, professor de Educação Física do Agrupamento de Escolas de Albufeira Poente e coordenador geral do projeto.
Mil alunos do 1.º ciclo passaram pelo recinto em cada uma das manhãs de 15 e 16 de outubro. Na tarde de dia 15 juntaram-se 500 alunos dos 2.º e 3.º ciclos e do secundário. Ao terceiro dia, o evento saiu das escolas e abriu-se à comunidade, no Parque de Vale Faro.
A quarta edição tem, uma vez mais, o apoio institucional do Comité Olímpico de Portugal e do IPDJ. Ambas as instituições estiveram presentes, com os programas de Educação Olímpica e Cuida-te. A Decathlon é a parceira desportiva oficial.
Durante os dois primeiros dias, as turmas passaram por um circuito de estações com mais de trinta parceiros: desporto federado, ciência, ambiente, proteção civil, cidadania e jogos de tabuleiro. Os alunos dos cursos profissionais da Escola Secundária de Albufeira integraram a organização, no apoio às turmas e parceiros, receção e bar, e registos multimédia.
“A participação do Comité Olímpico de Portugal nos ‘ANT GAMES’ 2026 realça a importância de proporcionar às crianças e jovens experiências educativas e desportivas que promovam, de forma lúdica e participativa, os Valores Olímpicos da Excelência, Amizade e Respeito. Através de uma atividade que desafiou os participantes a conquistar os cinco Anéis Olímpicos e a construir a sua própria Bandeira Olímpica, foi possível transformar a aprendizagem numa experiência de cooperação, descoberta e espírito de equipa”, diz Rita Nunes, diretora do Departamento de Educação e Memória Olímpica do Comité Olímpico de Portugal.
O Curso Profissional de Técnico/a de Massagem de Estética e Bem-Estar da Escola Secundária de Albufeira levou a massagem das mãos aos mais novos. O Curso Profissional de Apoio Educativo acompanhou os grupos participantes e animaram o evento com pinturas faciais e modelagem de balões.
“As crianças e jovens são convidados a explorar, brincar e participar em experiências diversificadas, que estimulam a autonomia, a criatividade e a confiança”, afirma Sónia Guerreiro, diretora do Curso Profissional de Técnico/a de Massagem de Estética e Bem-Estar.
“Para o Minibasquete do Imortal Basket, estas iniciativas são de extrema importância, pois permitem dar a conhecer aos alunos do 1.º ciclo a modalidade, as dinâmicas do clube e a sua metodologia de trabalho”, argumenta Amândio Amorim, Imortal Basket.
“Foi uma boa experiência ver muitos destes adolescentes aproximarem-se de nós, por sua iniciativa, e praticarem Suporte Básico de Vida. Para os nossos jovens da escolinha também foi uma ótima experiência. Entre pares, a dinâmica flui muito melhor”, afirma Verónica Silva Afonso, dos Bombeiros Voluntários de Albufeira.
“O projeto sQIlls desenvolve atividades para a melhoria das competências pessoais e sociais das crianças e jovens, com vista a mais sucesso escolar e à conclusão dos estudos”, refere Pedro Brazão, Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Albufeira.
“Foi a minha primeira vez no “ANT GAMES” e fiquei rendida. Acredito que os jogos de tabuleiro são muito mais do que momentos de diversão: promovem a atenção, a concentração, a resolução de problemas, o respeito pelas regras e o trabalho em equipa, e falamos de crianças e adultos”, afirma Aurora Coelho, Na Mira jogos de tabuleiro.
O terceiro dia, no Parque de Vale Faro, serviu também de formação em contexto de trabalho para os alunos dos cursos profissionais de Desporto, Ação Educativa, Massagem e Estética, Restauração e Bar e Multimédia.
A edição termina na quarta-feira, 21 de outubro, na Escola Básica da Guia, com turmas do pré-escolar, do 1.º e 2.º ciclos da freguesia e com a creche ‘Tempos de Infância’, da Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Albufeira. São vinte estações, entregues por vinte parceiros.
Os ‘ANT GAMES’ 2026 são organizados pelo Agrupamento de Escolas de Albufeira Poente, em coorganização com a Junta de Freguesia de Albufeira e Olhos de Água, a Junta de Freguesia da Guia e a Associação Albufeira Activa.
The trailer for GTA VI, the latest installment in the acclaimed Grand Theft Auto video game series, introduces Lucía Caminos, a Latina woman, as one of the protagonists alongside her partner, Jason Duval. Criticism from some fans of the franchise quickly surfaced online. Beyond comments about Caminos’s appearance, some users have labelled her “too dominant” because of her personality and questioned her weapons skills, which they deem “unrealistic for a woman,” even comparing them to those of a U.S. Marine.
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The beloved video game Tetris has a fascinating, complicated history. While the Tetris Company (TTC) claims exclusive rights to the geometric pieces at the heart of the game, known as tetrominoes, history shows that the Russian engineer and game designer duo behind TTC did not, in fact, own them. In this excerpt of Soviet Blocks: The Bizarre Puzzle of How Tetris Embraced Western Values, Julien Mailland traces Tetris’s journey from the Soviet Union to the West, and shows how the game is a lens through which to view two very different systems.
After the Soviet Union collapsed, Belikov and Patjinov — who by then had teamed up with Nintendo’s fixer Henk Rogers — sued each other over the rights to the game in federal court in New York. Pajitnov had very little going for him. The USSR did not recognize software copyright, or any private property for that matter other than for household pots and pans. Further, he developed the game on his work computer during work hours, which under U.S. legal principles would make it his employer’s property.
I have watched Pakistan-Afghanistan relations long enough to distrust easy headlines, and last week’s news produced a few of them. At the Center-2026 (Tsentr-2026) war games in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, Taliban officers stood among the foreign observers. Reports say it was the first time Moscow had invited a Taliban military delegation since the movement returned […]
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In our relentlessly optimized world, Justin Neuman calls for more nothing. More time for both adults and kids to engage in free, unstructured play. More opportunities to play games without competition or scoring. More chances to do things without needing to produce outputs or achieve goals. More “transitional spaces” through which we can practice, imagine, and think.
For years, I’ve commuted on foot from Grand Central Station to 14th Street, 30 blocks, give or take. I told myself it was exercise, or that I was saving the subway fare, or that I liked the air. But the truth is I was thinking. Or rather, I was letting thinking happen. The lecture I couldn’t outline at my desk would assemble itself somewhere around 34th Street, the important points falling into sequence with my footfalls, the argument clarifying as if the motion itself were doing the editing. I wasn’t working on the lecture. I was walking in it, the way my kids were playing in Catan.
In the new print issue of Esses, a quarterly print magazine covering motorsports and the culture around it, Duncan Fyfe writes about the most bizarre Formula One video game ever made. Centered around Gerhard Berger, a former racing driver from Austria who competed in F1 from 1984 to 1997, Gerhard Berger’s Formula 1 Quiz is a quirky video game from 1993 that raises more questions than it asks. Fyfe digs into the mystery, investigating the quiz’s grammatically awkward questions and the game’s developer, Austria Soft, whose existence is questionable. (Esses subscription may be required—consider becoming a member.)
THE REAL QUIZ, it soon becomes clear, is not a test of one’s F1 knowledge, but figuring out what the game expects to hear. This only becomes more difficult, and even sinister. Question nine: FROM WHAT COUNTRY IS JEAN ALESI REALLY? The answer is not France, where Alesi was born and grew up, and under whose flag Alesi competed for over a decade. To progress in the quiz, the game forces one to submit that Alesi was born to Italian parents, and thus is “really” from Italy.
The game’s questions all have correct answers that cannot be submitted, and yet they are less difficult to answer than these ones: Who made this game? Why? And what was Gerhard Berger thinking?
Prime minister to attend SCO summit, meet Kyrgyz leaders and discuss trade, investment and regional cooperation.
The post PM Shehbaz arrives in Bishkek on three-day visit for SCO summit appeared first on BOL News.
The 20th edition of the Mediterranean games began in Taranto (Italy) in the presence of the Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms, Raffaele Fitto. From 21 August until 3 September, delegations involving thousands of athletes, technicians, volunteers, official delegations and institutional stakeholders from over 26 countries in the Euro-Mediterranean region will meet in 20 competition venues. Athletes will compete in more than 33 disciplines, while at least 7 of these sports’ activities will have a specific focus on inclusive volunteering.
In a context marked by tensions and conflicts, the Mediterranean Games promote the spirit of peace, friendship, excellence, open mindedness and unity among the countries of the Mediterranean basin and embody the values and the spirit of Olympism which originates from this region. Collaborating with the Mediterranean Games is an important initiative of the first pillar of the Pact for the Mediterranean, which further advertises the benefits of sport and its positive impact in strengthening cohesion, overcoming social divides and promoting inclusion. In this context, the MED-Volunteers 2026 project supported by the EU through the Erasmus+ Sport programme, will act as a tool for active civic participation, youth empowerment and social inclusion in the Mediterranean Games. These principles will guide the actions of athletes and delegations and contribute to making the Games a memorable event for all participants.
At this occasion, Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, said : ”From Egypt in 1951 to Italy in 2026, the EU is proud to support the Mediterranean Games now in its 75th year. These Games reflect the importance of our Pact for the Mediterranean which puts young people at its heart, including through the power of sport. Inspired by the Olympic spirit, the Games not only promote peace, friendship and solidarity, they also provide a common language in sharing people’s love of sport. By joining forces, we want to give this unique event even greater visibility, especially among young people, and bring people and communities together across the Mediterranean, values which underpin the Pact for the Mediterranean”.
Background
Recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1952, the Mediterranean Games are a multidisciplinary sporting event reserved for the nations of the Mediterranean basin. The competition is inspired by the Olympic Games and aims to promote sport and cooperation between the peoples of the Mediterranean. The first Mediterranean Games were held in Alexandria in 1951. The Games boast 75 years of history and are in their twentieth edition. Celebrated every four years, they constitute for the countries of the Mediterranean Basin the most important multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.
The Pact for the Mediterranean was developed by the European Commission and the European External Action Service, and adopted by the College in October 2025, ahead of its official launch by EU and southern Mediterranean partners on 28 November 2025, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Declaration. Rooted in the principles of co-creation, co-ownership and shared responsibility, the Pact is the result of an unprecedented, inclusive consultation process, ensuring alignment with the real needs and aspirations of the citizens on both shores of the Mediterranean. It is a joint effort between the EU, its Member States and the southern Mediterranean partners, to work together on shared priorities for a connected, integrated, prosperous, resilient and secure Common Mediterranean Space.
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