‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ Reveals First Look at Mckenna Grace’s Maysilee Donner

Prequels to beloved franchises hinge on their ability to engage fans with characters whose fates are already known, and few upcoming projects carry that burden like this one. The ‘Hunger Games’ series has built its entire mythology on tragedy, and this next chapter promises to delve deeper into one of the saga’s most quietly heartbreaking backstories yet.

This tale focuses on a young Haymitch Abernathy, a role originally played by Woody Harrelson, now being reimagined by newcomer Joseph Zada as he competes in the brutal 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. Alongside him is Maysilee Donner, his fellow District 12 tribute and the original owner of the gold Mockingjay pin that would eventually reach Katniss Everdeen decades later.

Recently, Entertainment Weekly’s Fall Movie Preview provided fans with their first proper glimpse of this character in action. A new image showcases Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, walking through a crowd of tributes and Peacekeepers, dressed in a lavender dress with a pale blue sash, her expression resolute as she approaches the reaping stage. The photo encapsulates the quiet dread that the franchise has always excelled at portraying in its youngest characters.

Grace’s casting as Maysilee was confirmed back in April 2025, joining Zada and Whitney Peak, who plays Haymitch’s girlfriend Lenore Dove Baird, as part of the initial cast announcements for the project. ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ is based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling novel of the same name, which is set twenty-four years before the events of the original ‘Hunger Games’ book and film.

Maysilee’s role in the broader ‘Hunger Games’ mythology holds significant importance for longtime fans, given her direct connection to the Mockingjay pin that becomes a powerful symbol throughout Katniss’s journey years later. Grace, recognized for her performances in ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ and ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,’ joins a supporting cast that reportedly includes Elle Fanning as a young Effie Trinket and Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle, further enriching the film’s ties to established characters within the franchise.

Francis Lawrence, who has directed every ‘Hunger Games’ installment since 2012’s ‘Catching Fire,’ returns to direct this project, with a screenplay adaptation by Billy Ray. Color Force’s Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are producing, with Cameron MacConomy serving as executive producer, maintaining a consistent creative team with the franchise’s previous entries.

The novel itself achieved remarkable success upon release, selling 1.2 million copies in its first week in the United States, more than double the first-week sales of Collins’ earlier prequel ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ and roughly triple those of ‘Mockingjay’ back in 2010. This level of reader demand has clearly translated into significant anticipation for the film adaptation, with casting news for the project generating ongoing buzz across fan communities since the announcements began.

‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ is scheduled for release on November 20, 2026, providing Lionsgate with a clear opportunity to build momentum during the fall movie season. With the franchise having grossed over $3.3 billion collectively at the global box office across its five previous films, expectations for this prequel’s box office performance remain understandably high.

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