In “The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping,” Haymitch Abernathy’s games will have fans appreciating their favorite characters in an entirely new context.
Across five novels and soon-to-be six films, the The Hunger Games franchise largely remains iconic through its unforgettable characters. The newest film, The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping, captures old characters in an exhilarating new manner through the 2nd Quarter Quell — Haymitch Abernathy’s (Joseph Zada) games before he became a mentor.
Among other fan-favorite characters, Sunrise On The Reaping shows a younger version of Beetee Latier, the District 3 victor originally played by Jeffrey Wright. Here, Beetee (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is fiercely protective of his son Ampert (Percy Daggs IV), who’s a tribute in the 50th Games. Both Harrison and Daggs discuss the journey of bringing old and new characters to the screen, and the excitement of the process along the way.
“I’ve never been on something this big,” Daggs said. “To see it just blow up and to be a part of something so beloved is amazing.”
Sunrise On The Reaping marks the 14-year-old actor’s second feature film after the horror film Never Let Go with Halle Berry in 2024. Daggs brings a sharp and perceptive energy to the young Ampert as he works with Haymitch in hopes of outsmarting the arena.
Outside of the arena, Beetee is doing anything he can to save his son, but also bring a brighter future to Panem. He recruits Haymitch with top-secret knowledge of the arena, hoping that the District 12 rascal will rebel against the Capitol.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Photo Credit: Murray Close/Lionsgate.
“I find that his intellect is actually his form of loving,” Harrison said of Beetee. “He uses his strengths to protect the ones that he believes need to be protected.”
While Wright portrays Beetee in the original franchise, the duty of reprising the role is nothing new to Harrison. He knows Wright well while working together in projects like Monster and the upcoming Samo Lives, and understands his acting style.
“I think I wanted [Beetee] to have that same minimalistic, internalized focus, but with this overwhelming puppy dog nature to him,” Harrison said of crafting a younger Beetee. “There’s restraint, but an openness to want to receive, and that is kind of where I took from Jeffrey. Then, my own thing was just trying to make him a little more normal.”
The cast of the upcoming film is remarkably full, with beloved actors like McKenna Grace, Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Billy Porter and more stepping into Panem roles. For Daggs, he specifically mentioned the support of Zada on set, with the two sharing several pivotal scenes in the arena.
Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy and Percy Daggs IV as Ampert Latier in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Photo Credit: Murray Close/Lionsgate.
“Jo is just an amazing guy. There’s nothing I can say bad about him,” Daggs recalled. “He’s just all around a fun person to be with, and he made sure that we bonded and had a brotherly love outside the set. We made some magic together on that screen, and it came out really well.”
With the care put in by the cast and crew, Sunrise On The Reaping is sure to be the action-packed, emotional roller-coaster of a film defining the rest of 2026.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping releases in theaters Nov. 20.
