Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence pitches Plutarch prequel after ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’
“I think Plutarch’s a really interesting character and Jesse [Plemons] just did a tremendous job,” he said
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping director Francis Lawrence has already started thinking about the franchise’s next potential prequel, and he has one particular character in mind: Plutarch Heavensbee.
During a conversation with Lionsgate’s social media team at the London premiere of Sunrise on the Reaping, Lawrence revealed that he would be interested in exploring the character’s backstory in another instalment of the dystopian franchise.
“Wow, you know, I thought about this. There [are] so many characters that I love,” Lawrence said, before specifically mentioning Plutarch. “I think Plutarch’s a really interesting character and Jesse [Plemons] just did a tremendous job.”
Plemons portrays a younger version of Plutarch Heavensbee in Sunrise on the Reaping. The character is introduced as a cameraman assigned to District 12 during the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. However, audiences previously encountered an older version of Plutarch in 2013’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, where the late Philip Seymour Hoffman portrayed the character.
Plutarch eventually becomes one of the most important figures in the rebellion against the Capitol, secretly working against President Snow while maintaining his position within the regime. His complicated history and ability to operate on both sides of the conflict could provide plenty of material for another prequel.
Lawrence was not the only person interested in exploring Plutarch’s story. Producer Nina Jacobson also expressed enthusiasm about the possibility during the London premiere, describing herself as a “Plutarch obsessive”.
“He’s been at this for 25 years playing both sides. Like, how did you pull that off?” Jacobson said, pointing towards the character’s complicated history and his involvement in the rebellion.
However, a potential Plutarch prequel remains an idea rather than a confirmed project. Previous Hunger Games prequels, including 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and the upcoming Sunrise on the Reaping, were based on novels written by the franchise’s original author, Suzanne Collins. Any further expansion of the story would likely depend on her creative direction.
Meanwhile, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will take audiences back to Panem 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s story begins. Based on Collins’ 2025 novel of the same name, the film follows a young Haymitch Abernathy as he enters the 50th Hunger Games, a particularly brutal edition of the competition known as the Second Quarter Quell.
The upcoming film features Joseph Zada as young Haymitch, alongside Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning and Billy Porter.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on November 20, 2026. Whether Lawrence’s proposed Plutarch prequel eventually becomes the franchise’s next big-screen instalment remains to be seen.
