Jesse Plemons Cast as Young Plutarch Heavensbee in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’
Get ready Districts and people of the Capitol… the next chapter of The Hunger Games franchise is about to hit the big screen. Jesse Plemons, best known for his roles…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 20: Jesse Plemons attends the “Kinds Of Kindness” New York Premiere at Museum of Modern Art on June 20, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
Get ready Districts and people of the Capitol... the next chapter of The Hunger Games franchise is about to hit the big screen. Jesse Plemons, best known for his roles in Breaking Bad, and Game Knight (and being Kristen Dunst’s husband), is cast as young Plutarch Heavensbee, a character played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and 2 before his death.
Jesse Plemons in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games trilogy penned a prequel focused on Haymitch Abernathy’s time in the arena as a tribute. Haymitch is the first tribute from District 12 who won the games and became Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s mentor during the events of the 74th Hunger Games.
In the prequel, Heavensbee is a Capitol cameraman assigned to film District 12 tributes. This was before he became the Head Gamemaker. The prequel might show the relationship between Plutarch and Haymitch and how in the future, he decided to side with Haymitch and the rebellion against the Capitol.
Variety confirmed Plemons' casting; he previously worked with Hoffman in the 2012 movie The Master, where Plemons portrayed Hoffman’s son (and we can totally see the resemblance). The co-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Erin Westerman said of the casting, “Jesse is one of the most talented actors of his generation, with a proven record of picking his roles selectively. We are honored that he has chosen to bring his own take to one of the most fascinating figures in Panem and feel that his previous collaboration with Philip Seymour Hoffman makes it all the more special.”
Westerman also believed Plemons will be able to make the character his own, while still giving a “tribute to the character fans have already come to know. He also added that they “can’t wait for audiences to see it.”
Producer Nina Jacobson admitted “Jesse has been one of my favorite actors since I first saw him in Friday Night Lights.” She also revealed that Plemons “was the dream from the start” and that they couldn’t be “prouder to have him join the Hunger Games family.”
Entertainment Weekly recently reported that Australian-born actor Joseph Zada has been cast in the role of young Haymitch Abernathy.
Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled for a theatrical release on November 20, 2026.
