Oscar winner, 36, confirms shock return to the role that made her famous
- Oct 30, 2026
One Oscar winner, 36, has finally confirmed she's back in the role that made her a superstar.
She let it slip on the Call Her Daddy podcast on Wednesday, October 28, in a chat with host Alex Cooper.
"It was unbelievable. It was so crazy. It was the same crew," she said, according to RTÉ.
The star is Jennifer Lawrence, and she's returning as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
The original series ran from 2012 to 2015. More than a decade later, the girl on fire is back.
Two old friends came too
She isn't coming back alone. Lawrence confirmed Josh Hutcherson returns as Peeta Mellark, and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy.
And the reunion, by her account, was emotional.
Josh and I didn't walk to the bathroom without our arms around each other. It was so beautiful.
Jennifer Lawrence
Harrelson, it seems, hasn't changed a bit.
"Woody, obviously, came through the window of my hotel room uninvited," Lawrence said. "It wouldn't be the same if he listened to boundaries or used a door."
Even the crew was the same, right down to the camera operators, she said.
A prequel with a twist
Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel, set 24 years before the original Hunger Games. It centres on Harrelson's character, Haymitch.
Joseph Zada plays the younger Haymitch. McKenna Grace plays Maysilee Donner, with Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle and Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, according to RTÉ and Page Six.
It's adapted from Suzanne Collins' novel, published in March 2025, by Billy Ray and Michael Lesslie, with Francis Lawrence directing. The cast is stacked: Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Maya Hawke as Wiress and Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird.
With a reported budget of $170 million to $200 million, it's one of the biggest bets of the year.
Lawrence's news landed on the same day as the film's big London screening, which she skipped, Page Six reported.
Fans won't have to wait long to see how Katniss fits in. Sunrise on the Reaping opens in cinemas on November 20.
Just maybe keep the hotel windows locked.
