Odds are, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will connect plenty to the bestselling book series.
And judging from the trailer released Sept. 16, both fans and newcomers to Suzanne Collins’ stories can be excited about the latest big screen prequel.
“If you do know the books and the stories and the characters, there’s a whole other layer of nostalgia,” director Francis Lawrence revealed recently at a preview screening attended by SYFY Wire. “But it’s really a movie where somebody new could come in and start fresh with the story.”
Read on to see what Easter eggs were dropped in this latest look.
Young and Old Haymitch Abernathy Appear In Panem
“Nobody ever wins the games,” Woody Harrelson is heard saying in a voiceover at the beginning of the new trailer. “There are survivors.”
The observation harkened back to the Haymitch we meet 24 years later, long after the events surrounding the Second Quarter Quell left him traumatized.
But the sneak peek shows a much younger and less jaded Haymitch, with Joseph Zada tapped to display new dimensions to the character whom Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) likely wouldn’t recognize as her hardened mentor.
“It was important to us to find somebody who could capture the boy who Haymitch was,” producer Nina Jacobson shared at the screening. “The optimism. The hopefulness. The carefree quality that he seems to have. It’s in sharp contrast with Haymitch you meet at the beginning of the original series.”
Haymitch Sends a Strong Message to President Snow from the Arena
As Haymitch faces President Snow (Ralph Fiennes), he offers a condescending slow clap inside the arena, where we see Plutarch Heavensbee (Jesse Plemons) look on in fascination.
The moment evoked a similar sarcastic tone from a fan-favorite Katniss quote, when Haymitch’s frustrated mentee shot an arrow near the Gamemakers before uttering, “Thank you for your consideration.”
We’re likely to get more than a few parallels to District 12’s most famous archer, seeing as she picks up the rebellious spirit that Haymitch had abandoned many moons previously.
“This story specifically is very pivotal, because it really is the beginning of the resistance that leads into the stories with Katniss,” Lawrence explained. “This is the real origin, not just the story of Haymitch, but the origin story of the resistance.”
Dual Posters With The Capitol Tell A Story
Two new posters chose their words carefully, with one featuring Hunger Games tributes alongside the words “Challenge Authority,” referencing these literal challengers who are fighting fascism in and outside the arena.
Then, “Capitalize Power” is the caption on a poster with Snow and other high-profile figures from the capitol who use the annual bloodbath to maintain their elevated standings, and remind the other districts to keep in line.
Lawrence ensured Collins’ political themes were likewise embedded in the adaptation’s subtext. “She wanted to write a book about implicit submission,” he noted. “It doesn’t matter what kind of government you live under, we always just accept the fact that we are ruled quite by the few.”
A Unique Arena For The Quarter Quell
At many points, the trailer shows Haymitch and fellow District 12 tribute Maysilee Donner (Mckenna Grace) brushing up against the arena’s force-field boundary, teasing a pivotal moment in his origin story.
On that note, we also get a glimpse at Silka Sharp (Laura Marcus), whose death wins The Hunger Games for Haymitch after one of her signature axes bounces off the barrier and is returned to sender in lethal fashion.
Despite the dystopian doom and gloom like this on display, Lawrence has predicted audiences will leave theaters in high spirits.
“I think people are going to really enjoy this return to form to The Hunger Games stories that they love. The spectacle is there. The emotion is certainly there,” he raved. “It is a truly emotional story, but a very hopeful one at the same time and that’s something I’m really looking forward to for people to see.”
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is in theaters Nov. 20.
