The original quartet of Hunger Games films dominated cinemas from 2012 to 2015 with a gargantuan box office haul to go with their artistic triumphs.
Moreover, it’s still going relatively strong a decade later, with The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes boasting similar edges both critically and financially. It’s no surprise, then, that the announcement of Sunrise on the Reaping — a brand new Hunger Games book set for a spring 2025 release—has been followed by the news of a feature film adaptation in record time; November 2026 can’t come soon enough.
The story will serve as a prequel novel starring the character Haymitch, a premise that has no doubt caused some delightful squeals to echo around the world. Haymitch, of course, was Katniss’ and Peeta’s mentor during their spell in the Hunger Games, having been victorious in the competition himself many years ago. But exactly how many years ago was it?
When did Haymitch win the Hunger Games?
Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the events of the original Hunger Games trilogy, when Haymitch clinched a rather fateful victory against the heinous backdrop of the Games’ 50th anniversary.
His victory was unique in that it was during the Games’ second-ever Quarter Quell, which introduces a twist to the Games every 25 years. For this one, four children were reaped from each district rather than the usual two, and Haymitch won by tricking the runner-up, a woman from District 1, into chopping herself with her own axe.
Haymitch would eventually go on to participate in the third Quarter Quell during the 75th Hunger Games, whose participants were selected from a pool of the Games’ past winners.