Last year Hunger Games social media accounts made shocking news when they announced there would be a new book and movie in the series. Shortly afterward, Collins released the novel on March 18, 2025 where it promptly sold 1.2 million copies in its first week in the U.S.—three times more than what Mockingjay, which closed out Collins’ original Hunger Games trilogy, did in the same time frame.  Sunrise on the Reaping follows Peeta and Katniss’ mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, when he is chosen to compete in the 50th Hunger Games, which due to the anniversary means there will be double the amount of tributes. The novel tells the story of Haymitch’s life in District 12 and his rebellion against the Capitol, which led him to become the unfriendly mentor we know from the original series.  This is the second prequel Collins has released after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which followed a young Coriolanus Snow on his journey to becoming the ruthless president in the original trilogy. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie grossed $349 million worldwide, and Collins and Lionsgate are likely eager to repeat that success at the box office with a Sunrise on the Reaping film.  The most successful movie in the franchise has been The Hunger Games: Catching Fire with a worldwide box office gross of almost $845 million. Hunger Games hasn’t been able to recreate those numbers since. But the Sunrise on the Reaping movie will follow a character the audience already connects with (as opposed to despite like Coriolanus), which may encourage more casual fans to see it. The announcement of Sunrise on the Reaping release brought new life to the Hunger Games audience, with many fans speculating about casting and production choices for the already confirmed movie adaptation, which is set to release in November 2026.  The Sunrise on the Reaping movie starts production in July and reportedly has a budget of over $150 million, according to a Deadline report, which could make it the largest budget Hunger Games movie to date. Fans of the franchise have been eagerly awaiting information about the highly anticipated movie adaptation, and they won’t have to wait long to get it. Here’s a look at some of the casting choices so far and what the expectations are for the upcoming film.  Amazon Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy There were many fan castings following the release of the book involving popular actors such as Outer Banks’ Rudy Pankow and Harris Dickinson from Babygirl. Instead the lead role went to industry newcomer Joseph Zada, who will bring a fresh perspective. Zada is an Australian actor who began his career in 2019 in a film directed by his father, Jeremy Cumpston. He continued acting and has only been involved in four projects before his casting in Hunger Games, two movies (Bilched and The Speedway Murders), one small role in the Australian TV show Total Control, and a lead role in the currently airing Australian show, Invisible Boys. The Sunrise on the Reaping movie will be Zada’s first Hollywood blockbuster role.    In Sunrise on the Reaping, Haymitch’s character suffers unimaginable loss and faces treacherous conditions in the arena, so it will be interesting to see what Zada brings to the emotional impact of his journey.  Zada will also be starring in another anticipated book-adaptation, We Were Liars, which is set to release in June. Also of note, at age 20, Zada is actually the appropriate age to be playing a 16-year-old, which differs from both fan casting and a franchise that previously has cast actors over 25 as teenagers. Photo by: Nick Morgulis Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner Maysilee is a fierce but kindhearted character, which is not uncommon ground for Mckenna Grace. Grace is one of the more well-known additions to the cast, having starred in Gifted alongside Chris Evans, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. Many fans were in favor of this choice on social media as well.   Grace will have the task of conveying the multiple layers to Maysilee’s arc. At the start of the novel, the character is viewed as a stuck-up rich girl but as the story progresses, Haymitch realizes there is more to her that meets the eye, and the two characters form a strong bond. Grace’s performance will ride on her ability to capture Maysilee’s development in a way that will have audiences empathizing with her until the very end. Grace already has almost three million followers on Instagram and five million on TikTok because of her popularity with a Gen Z audience, which likely appealed to the Lionsgate marketing department as well. She’s also only 18 years old, making this another case of the filmmakers again avoiding the common Hollywood issue of folks pushing 30 playing teens.  A24 Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee Plutarch is a recurring character in the original trilogy, having a pivotal role in Mockingjay where he helps Katniss take down President Snow and the Capitol. In the film version, he was played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of the actor’s final roles. In Sunrise on the Reaping, we see Plutarch’s rise to power and how he gained the trust of the president while also helping the rebel cause. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! Jesse Plemons was cast to play a younger Plutarch in the upcoming movie. It will be hard to live up to Hoffman’s charisma and talent, but Plemons seems up for the job. In fact, Plemons and Hoffman have actually shared the screen together when Plemons played Hoffman’s son in the 2012 film The Master. Plemons has been in the industry for a while and, most notably, played a role in the popular TV series Breaking Bad. He was also nominated for an Oscar as a supporting actor in The Power of the Dog. Max/WBD Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Whitney Peak was cast to play Lenore Dove, the musical, free-spirited girlfriend of Haymitch, who is a part of the traveling musical band in District 12, or the “Covey.” Peak is a relatively new actress, best known for her roles in teen dramas like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix and the Gossip Girl reboot on Max.  We will see if Peak can capture the same wild, whimsical energy that Rachel Zegler did when she played a very similar role as Lucy Gray Baird in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie. Zegler captured the hearts of Hunger Games fans, helping her to land roles afterward like Y2K and the latest Broadway production of  Romeo and Juliet. Zegler has already expressed her support for Peak’s casting on social media, writing, “I know she’s gonna do the Baird name proud.” Searchlight Pictures Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Beetee is a major character in the second Hunger Games novel, Catching Fire, where he uses his intelligence and knowledge of the arena to help stop the Games. In Sunrise on the Reaping, we learn about his family and his previous involvement in the rebellion, making his actions in the original trilogy more impactful. Young Beetee will be played by Kelvin Harrison Jr. who has had roles in other major movies like Elvis, The Trial of Chicago 7, Luce, and Waves and has been acting since 2013.  The character was previously played by Jeffrey Wright in the original trilogy, who unsurprisingly did a good job of coming across as shy and dorky while simultaneously using his intelligence to take down the Capitol. Harrison will act as a mentor to young Haymitch in Sunrise on the Reaping and aid him in his rebellion against the Capitol, showing that just because he’s nerdy doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous.  Netflix Maya Hawke as Wiress  Wiress is one of Haymitch’s mentors in the novel who won the Hunger Games the year before by outsmarting the gamemakers and the other tributes. Wiress will be played by Maya Hawke, who is known for being the daughter of famous actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman as well as her role in the popular TV series Stranger Things. Many fans of her and the franchise were satisfied with the charismatic choice.  Like Beetee, Wiress’s character is introduced in Catching Fire as the smart but mentally disturbed tribute from District 3. In Sunrise on the Reaping, we see that she used to be able to communicate normally before the Capitol tortured her for her involvement in the rebellion. She was played in the original movies by Amanda Plummer, who embodied her eccentric, odd demeanor well, but Hawke will be playing a more sane and coherent version of Wiress. She will have to embody the young, capable victor who encourages the District 12 kids to use their intelligence to succeed in the Hunger Games without having to kill.  Amazon Prime Lili Taylor as Mags The kind and loveable mentor Mags will be played by Lili Taylor. The American actress has had roles in many successful movies, including Mystic Pizza, The Conjuring, I Shot Andy Warhol and Dogfight. Mags was also introduced in Catching Fire as Finnick’s mentor and a sweet, maternal figure. We see more of her in Sunrise on the Reaping as she helps Haymitch and the District 12 tributes prepare and shows us what she was like before the Capitol’s influence on her.  Mags was played in the Catching Fire movie by Lynn Cohen, but she was nonverbal and frail after years of Capitol torment. The Mags in this movie will be different, more energetic and able-bodied while still retaining the same affectionate nature. We will see her taking care of the tributes and making them feel like human beings even though they are headed to almost certain death.  Sony Pictures Ben Wang as Wyatt Callow Wyatt Callow is one of the District 12 tributes and a mathematical genius. Wyatt is known to take bets on the Hunger Games and calculate the odds of each tribute for his father, which Haymitch doesn’t like. The two characters get off to a rocky start, but Haymitch eventually realizes Wyatt is a good person with how loyal he is to their group.  Ben Wang will be playing Wyatt in the upcoming adaptation. Wang is also about to star in Karate Kid: Legend and has also appeared in the Mean Girls remake and the Disney+ series American Born Chinese.  Wyatt is socially awkward, but kind-hearted, and Wang will have to portray the depth of his character beyond just his intelligence.  Focus Features Ralph Fiennes as President Snow The ruthless President Snow will be played by the legendary Ralph Fiennes. The British actor has received multiple Academy Award nominations for his roles in Schindler’s List, Conclave, and The English Patient. His legacy also extends to some of the most popular movies of the last 30 years, running the gamut from Skyfall to The Grand Budapest Hotel. Fiennes is one of the most veteran members of the cast and someone that the younger actors can look up to as a mentor.  Of course Fiennes is no stranger to playing ruthless dictators either since his transformation into the role of Voldemort in the Harry Potter series is etched into the memories of generations. Fiennes will be playing the heartless president of Panem in Sunrise on the Reaping when he confronts Haymitch, the rebellion, and the 50th Hunger Games. There is no doubt that Fiennes will be able to portray Snow in the movie just as intimidating and coldhearted as fans have imagined him to be. Hulu Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket The most recent casting announcement has been Elle Fanning as the Capitol mentor Effie Trinket. Fanning was actually who many fans suggested should play the role, and it seems like the Hunger Games producers that request seriously. Fanning is the sister of the actress Dakota Fanning and has been in a number of popular films including A Complete Unknown, Maleficent, and The Great TV series.  Effie is a constant character throughout the original series (where she is played by Elizabeth Banks onscreen), and in Sunrise on the Reaping, we get to see how she obtained her position in District 12 and her first meeting with her fellow mentor Haymitch. Effie is sympathetic toward the district kids, but the Capitol propaganda prevents her from fully understanding their struggles. She thinks it’s sad they have to go into the Hunger Games but believes it’s necessary to keep the peace. Fanning will have to play the naïve and extravagant character who has a very ignorant outlook toward the real world. HBO Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman  Caesar Flickerman is the charismatic entertainer and showman we see in the original trilogy interviewing the tributes before they enter the arena. In Sunrise on the Reaping, we get to see more of a younger Caesar conducting interviews before the 50th Hunger Games, but we also get some insight into how he can manipulate and sell a certain narrative to the Capitol audience. The character was previously played by Stanley Tucci who completely transformed himself into the role and really brought the preening media personality to life. And now Kieran Culkin has been cast for the upcoming prequel where he will get the chance to commit to the same eccentric hair, makeup, and outfits that Tucci made iconic.  Culkin is a seasoned actor and will almost certainly be up for the challenge. After all, he just won an Oscar for A Real Pain, and before that he won an Emmy (and was nominated for several more) due to his turn as Roman Roy on HBO’s Succession. Of course for a whole generation of movie watchers, he will always be Fuller from Home Alone. Molly McCann as Louella McCoy and Iona Bell as Lou Lou Louella and Lou Lou are two very similar looking characters who will each have to play very different roles. Louella will be played by Molly McCann who will have to play the sweet, innocent girl who Haymitch vows to protect when she is reaped in the Hunger Games at just 13. McCann is a young Irish actress who has already been a part of 19 projects, including movies and TV shows, and nominated for an Irish Film and TV award in 2021.  On the other hand, Iona Bell is cast as Lou Lou, who is an unknown girl from District 11 who was tortured by the Capitol and has been driven to almost insanity as a result. Bell is a British actress who has only been a part of one project before this casting. The teenage actress is currently filming in a few independent films, as well as a movie with Taika Waititi (Fing!) which will come out later this year. Her character in Sunrise on the Reaping is an odd one, but you can’t help but sympathize with her because of what she’s been through. 

Lovell House | © Julius Shulman Few residential projects in the history of architecture have so concisely synthesized the aspirations of the modernist movement as the Lovell House. Designed by Richard Neutra and constructed between 1927 and 1929, this hillside residence overlooking Los Angeles is more than a stylistic landmark. It is a rigorous exploration of space, health, and industrial modernity. Commissioned by Dr. Philip Lovell, a health advocate and proponent of naturopathy, the house was conceived not as a retreat from the world but as a manifesto supporting rational living. For Neutra, who had recently arrived in the United States from Europe, this project represented a professional breakthrough and a profoundly personal alignment of ideological principles. Lovell House Technical Information Architects1-6: Richard Neutra Location: 4616 Dundee Drive, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, USA Area: 446 m2 | 4,800 Sq. Ft. Project Year: 1927 – 1928 Photographs: © Julius Shulman Philip Lovell wanted a house that would express his ideas of health, hygiene, and fitness. I wanted a house that would express my ideas of modern architecture. In the end, we built both. – Richard Neutra 7 Lovell House Photographs © Michael Locke, Flickr User © Michael Locke, Flickr User © Barcelo Photography © Barcelo Photography © Barcelo Photography © Barcelo Photography © Julius Shulman © Julius Shulman © Julius Shulman © Julius Shulman © Julius Shulman © Julius Shulman Context and Commission The interwar period witnessed a radical reevaluation of domestic space, partly driven by technological advancements and shifting attitudes toward hygiene and well-being. Within this cultural milieu, Dr. Lovell, already known for commissioning the Lovell Beach House by Rudolf Schindler, sought to build a residence that would embody his beliefs in clean living, sun exposure, and fresh air. His choice of Neutra, an architect trained in Vienna and influenced by figures such as Adolf Loos and Erich Mendelsohn, signaled a deliberate move toward a more European, functionalist approach. The Lovell House was Neutra’s first major commission in the United States and his opportunity to engage with the burgeoning discourse around the International Style. Lovell’s trust in Neutra and the architect’s commitment to creating a scientifically ordered environment set the stage for one of the most iconic modern homes in American architecture. Design Strategies and Construction Innovation On the hills of Los Feliz, the Lovell House is among the earliest examples of residential steel-frame construction in the United States. Neutra’s use of this system, more commonly associated with commercial or industrial buildings then, allowed for a remarkably lightweight structure that could seemingly float above its steep site. The steel frame also permitted large spans and cantilevers, freeing the plan from traditional load-bearing constraints and enabling expansive glazed openings. The house is organized as a vertical sequence of spaces, with each floor serving a distinct function. The lower level includes areas for exercise and recreation, aligned with Lovell’s ideals, while the upper floors house living and sleeping quarters. Circulation is carefully orchestrated, with a suspended exterior stair emphasizing the connection between levels without interrupting the building’s formal clarity. Transparency and openness are guiding principles throughout the design. Ribbon windows, floor-to-ceiling glazing, and open terraces blur the boundary between inside and out, capitalizing on Southern California’s climate while reinforcing Neutra’s belief in architecture’s capacity to mediate between human beings and their environment. Materiality and Environmental Integration The Lovell House’s material language is deliberately spare. Industrial steel, concrete, glass, and stucco are deployed precisely, rejecting ornamentation in favor of surface, proportion, and rhythm. Neutra’s choice of materials was aesthetic and deeply aligned with the project’s hygienic ethos: smooth, cleanable surfaces, built-in furniture, and controlled daylight contribute to a sense of physical and psychological well-being. Despite its machine-like clarity, the house is far from alienated from its context. The steeply sloping terrain becomes an active component of the design. Outdoor terraces, bridges, and gardens mediate between the constructed and natural environments, encouraging movement, exposure to sunlight, and engagement with the landscape. Neutra’s sensitivity to site and orientation ensured that the building was not merely placed on the land but woven into its topography and climate. Legacy and Influence The Lovell House has long occupied a pivotal place in the architectural canon. Featured in the 1932 Museum of Modern Art exhibition that introduced the International Style to an American audience, it exemplified the movement’s nationalist ideals in built form. Its influence on subsequent generations of architects in the U.S. and abroad cannot be overstated. For Neutra, the project marked the beginning of a prolific career dedicated to what he termed “biorealism”: integrating architecture with its inhabitants’ physiological and psychological needs. The house’s emphasis on health, efficiency, and environmental responsiveness would become hallmarks of his later work. Lovell House Plans Sketches | © Richard Neutra Floor Plans | © Richard Neutra Elevations | © Richard Neutra Elevations | © Richard Neutra Isometric View | © Richard Neutra Lovell House Image Gallery About Richard Neutra Richard Neutra (1892–1970) was an Austrian-American architect whose work played a pivotal role in defining the architectural identity of mid-20th century California. Deeply influenced by European modernism and trained under figures like Adolf Loos and briefly Frank Lloyd Wright, Neutra brought a rigorous, human-centered approach to design that emphasized clarity, health, and environmental responsiveness. His architecture fused technological precision with psychological and physiological considerations, resulting in dwellings that were as much about wellness as they were about aesthetics. Best known for projects like the Lovell House and the Kaufmann Desert House, Neutra’s legacy is a model of modern architecture’s potential to harmonize life, nature, and innovation. Credits and Additional Notes Client: Dr. Philip Lovell Design Period: 1927 Construction Period: 1928–1929 Site Conditions: Steep hillside lot in Los Feliz with expansive views over Los Angeles Construction System: Steel-frame structure with gunite (sprayed concrete) and stucco cladding Architectural Style: International Style / Modernism Neutra: Complete Works by Barbara Mac Lamprecht, Peter Gossel, Dion Neutra, Julius Shulman

The Czech Factory Where Oskar Schindler Saved 1,200 Jews Is Now a Museum in Their Honor Under the stewardship of the Jewish family that owned the factory before World War II, the museum is reclaiming the dilapidated site and its dark history The Museum of Survivors is dedicated to the testimonies of the 1,200 Eastern European Jews who lived through the Holocaust with the help of German industrialist Oskar Schindler. The Arks Foundation The former textile factory where German industrialist Oskar Schindler employed and protected 1,200 Jews during the last years of World War II opened this past weekend as a museum dedicated to the stories and memories of survivors of the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. Located in the Czech town of Brnenec, nearly 100 miles southeast of Prague, the Museum of Survivors held its grand opening on May 10, just after the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end in Europe on May 8, 1945. Nearly a century before the factory came under Schindler’s ownership in the 1940s, it was a thriving textile mill owned by the Löw-Beers, a Jewish family from the region. As the Nazis encroached on Czechoslovakia in 1938, the Löw-Beers fled. The Nazis seized the factory, converting it into a munitions plant and later a branch of the Gross-Rosen concentration camp. Daniel Löw-Beer, the grandson of the factory’s last Jewish owner, set up the Arks Foundation in 2019 and spearheaded the effort to purchase the building and turn it into a site of memory. Making a Museum Watch on “We had to flee for our lives, lost a bit of our history, so putting a little bit of history back to a place and hopefully bringing out as well the history of Oskar Schindler and the village is what we’re doing today,” Löw-Beer tells the Associated Press’ Karel Janicek. At the opening weekend, Löw-Beer was joined by hundreds of guests, including descendants of Jews whom Schindler is credited with saving. “This is a place for education, to learn about our parents and how they lived,” Hadassa Bau, the daughter of survivor Joseph Bau, tells TVP World’s Alex Webber. While Schindler was born in Svitavy, a town just north of Brnenec, he spent much of the war running an enamel factory in Krakow, Poland, which employed Polish Jews who lived in the Krakow Ghetto and were later imprisoned in the Krakow-Plaszow concentration camp. As the Soviet Red Army collapsed the Nazi’s Eastern Front in 1944, Schindler’s clout as a member of the Nazi Party and an agent of the Abwehr, the German military-intelligence service, allowed him to shift his operations—along with a list of 1,000 Jewish prisoners he employed—to Brnenec. His list of names likely saved those Jews from mass murder at Auschwitz-Birkenau. After the Soviets liberated Brnenec, the Jewish survivors presented Schindler with a golden ring created out of melted-down gold from their teeth. It bore an inscription paraphrased from the Talmud: “Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.” Schindler’s actions earned him Yad Vashem’s Righteous Among the Nations medal and formed the basis of Thomas Keneally’s 1982 historical novel Schindler’s Ark, which in turn inspired Steven Spielberg’s 1993 movie Schindler’s List. Before it was purchased by Daniel Löw-Beer and his Arks Foundation in 2019, the factory had fallen into disrepair after decades of neglect. The Arks Foundation Margaret Keneally, the author’s daughter, was in attendance at the recent ceremony, and on behalf of her father, she delivered three documents for inclusion in the museum’s collections: original transcripts of interviews her father conducted with survivors; documents relating to the trial and execution of Krakow-Plaszow commandant Amon Göth; and portions of the original, hand-typed manuscript of her father’s book. “Part of the story he told will be here, and this place is an important part of continuing to tell that story,” she said, per Radio Prague International’s Danny Bate and Barbora Soukupová. Despite the ceremony, the Museum of Survivors is still a work in progress, and it doesn’t yet have regular visitation hours. Awaiting renovation are key sites like Schindler’s office; the barracks where SS troops lived; and the so-called Schindler’s Ark building, where the Jewish prisoners worked and lived, per the AP. For now, a transparent glass wall separates the ruins from the completed portions of the museum—a thin barrier that invites viewer’s contemplation about the ruins of history and the promises of the future. “It’s a universal place of survivors,” Löw-Beer tells the AP. “We want those stories to be told and people to make their own opinions.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.