Oscar and Emmy-winning actors cast as District 12’s escort and designer in the upcoming prequel film.
Lionsgate has officially announced the addition of Glenn Close and Billy Porter to the ensemble cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The casting was revealed during the studio’s CineEurope presentation and adds significant star power to the highly anticipated prequel.
New castings for ‘THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING’:
• Glenn Close as Drusilla
• Billy Porter as Magno Stift pic.twitter.com/eKJl9br0wf— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 16, 2025
Close will play Drusilla Sickle, the authoritarian escort for District 12’s Tributes. Porter will portray Magno Stift, her estranged husband and the district’s disillusioned designer. Their characters introduce new dynamics to the franchise, which returns to the world of Panem nearly a quarter-century before the events of the original Hunger Games series.
They join a cast that includes Joseph Zada as a young Haymitch Abernathy, alongside Maya Hawke, Jesse Plemons, Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes, McKenna Grace, Whitney Peak, and Kieran Culkin. Francis Lawrence returns to direct, with a screenplay adaptation by Billy Ray. The film is slated for release on November 20, 2026.
Producer Nina Jacobson praised the additions, stating, “Glenn Close is a dream Drusilla… Glenn and Francis will have a ball bringing Drusilla from the page to the screen,” while adding that Porter “can dazzle and devastate in equal measure.”
Sunrise on the Reaping is based on the latest novel by Suzanne Collins, which debuted in March 2025 and sold 1.5 million copies in its first week across multiple English-speaking markets.
The story takes place during the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, offering a deeper look at the events that shaped Haymitch Abernathy’s backstory.
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Close is widely known for her performances in Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, and The Wife, while Porter earned critical acclaim for his roles in Pose and Kinky Boots, which won him a Tony Award. Both actors bring extensive experience to the franchise, which has grossed over $3.3 billion globally across five films.
