Posted in: Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the Reaping Producer On The Unique Development Cycle

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping producer Nina Jacobson explains the unique development process when you're making an adaptation of a book that isn't out yet.

No one was really that surprised when it was announced that another Hunger Games prequel was on the way. The first one did well in book sales and as a movie adaptation. It might be the only reason the lights are still on at Lionsgate, considering how bad 2024 was for the studio. However, what was surprising was that we heard about the book announced for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping the same day we learned about the movie adaptation. Not only that, the book and the movie were going to be released within a year of each other. The book was just released this week, and so far, the fans seem pretty into it. However, that development cycle for the movie is kind of weird. There was more time between the last book's release and the movie's release, but this time, things were moving much faster. Variety got the chance to speak to longtime Hunger Games producer Nina Jacobson and asked about developing a movie for a book that hasn't even been released yet.

"This is a very different process for us," Jacobson explained. "I've never actually worked on an adaptation like this, where you're so far ahead of the book, and yet people are waiting for it. I knew that she was working on another book, but I really had no idea – it could be years! I certainly did not expect that so soon after "Ballad," I would get a call saying, "I have another book. I want you to read it. I want to know whether you think it's a movie or not," to me and [director Francis Lawrence].

Jacobson went on to explain how they had to go and read the book at Suzanne Collin's agent's house and how, after she and director Francis Lawrence read Sunrise on the Reaping, they had to work on the movie without being able to talk about it with anyone.

"We had to do a whole secret thing where I went to her longtime agent's house and read it," she continued. "There was one copy of the book that lived at his house. I had to go have my turn. Francis went and had his turn. We were so thrilled. It wrecked me so much as a person who loves to read and who wants to fall headlong into a book that won't let you go. I was on the edge of my seat, crying. I just was so moved by it and so energized by it, and then could not talk to anybody except for Francis, Suzanne and our studio partners. And many of them hadn't even read it yet – we just had the one copy to keep it secure and safe! To finally get to share that and get to hear what other people think, I'm just so excited for the fans. I'm just a huge fan who gets to be lucky enough to make the movies."

If the movie is to make that late November 2026 release date, things are going to have to get off the ground sooner rather than later. One would think Jacobson, Lawrence, and everyone else would be scrambling now that Sunrise on the Reaping is coming out only this week, but Jacobson explained that isn't the case.

"We're much further along than we would ever have been otherwise, without having this jump, because we went to work right away," she explained." None of it has been announced yet, but we have a great draft that we're still doing work on. We've established our locations. We're very far along for a book that's only going to come out tomorrow! You don't know what the fans are going to respond to, so you just put yourself very easily in their shoes as one of them. I cannot wait to get to hear from them and to see what speaks to them. We do have such a smart and sophisticated fan base that they were able to speculate. They speculated about a lot of things, and I can't wait for them to match their speculations up with the book. It's been super thrilling and really rewarding. You feel like you're planning a big surprise party."

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes managed to pull in not only the existing fanbase but also people who hadn't read a single word of a Hunger Games book or watched any of the movies. That is not common for a prequel to do, and there's no telling what the turnout for Sunrise on the Reaping will be. On the other hand, Haymitch is one of the most beloved characters in the entire franchise, so maybe it won't be that hard of a sell.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Book Summary

Summary: "Sunrise on the Reaping will revisit the world of Panem twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves. When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena."

While The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes' success will likely shut up anyone who does the whole "who asked for this" dance, this is your reminder that Rachel Zegler very much asked for Sunrise on the Reaping to exist.

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