Lionsgate has released the first trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, offering audiences their initial look at Glenn Close in a role that marks one of the most dramatic physical transformations of her career. The veteran actress appears nearly unrecognizable as Drusilla Sickle, an austere and unsettling official from the world created by author Suzanne Collins. The upcoming film serves as both a sequel to the 2023 feature The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and a prequel to the blockbuster series that began more than a decade ago. It is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 20, 2026.
The trailer introduces Close with an orange bob, sharply cut bangs, deep red lipstick and sharply drawn eyebrows, presenting a character who embodies the chilling efficiency associated with Panem’s ruling class. Her character presides over the reaping ceremony in District 12, where young residents are selected by lottery to serve as tributes in a violent televised competition. The footage highlights the looming tension and ceremonial precision that returns viewers to the earliest days of the franchise’s dystopian landscape. Close, an eight-time Oscar nominee, appears immersed in the character’s unsettling persona, embracing the theatricality that the role demands.
In recent interviews, Close expressed enthusiasm for the collaborative environment surrounding the film’s production. She described her work on the project as especially enjoyable, noting the scale of the filmmaking, which includes extensive sets, large numbers of background performers and elaborate staging involving chariots, horses and aerial shots. Her comments reinforce the studio’s intention to expand the visual and emotional scope of the series as it explores events that shaped Panem long before the rise of Katniss Everdeen.
According to an official synopsis, the film centers on a young Haymitch Abernathy, portrayed by Joseph Zada, and follows the events leading up to the Fiftieth Hunger Games, known within the narrative as the Second Quarter Quell. The story begins on the morning of the reaping and charts the tense circumstances that ultimately define Haymitch’s future as one of the most complex figures in the franchise. The cast also features Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak and Kelvin Harrison Jr., assembling one of the most expansive ensembles in the series to date.
Close’s ability to disappear into demanding roles has long been recognized. Her work in the 2011 film Albert Nobbs, in which she portrayed a woman living as a male butler in 19th-century Ireland, earned widespread acclaim, and her transformation in the 2024 horror drama The Deliverance showcased her talent for embodying eccentric and unconventional characters. Sunrise on the Reaping continues this tradition, presenting another opportunity for her to reshape her appearance and mannerisms entirely for a role.
Although viewers will have to wait until late 2026 to see her performance in the new Hunger Games installment, Close maintains a strong screen presence in the meantime. She appears in the legal drama All’s Fair and plays a significant role in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the latest entry in the ongoing detective series set in upstate New York. In that story, she portrays Margaret Delacroix, a church official entangled in a murder investigation unfolding during Easter Week. The role further demonstrates her range and continued appeal to audiences across genres.
With the release of Sunrise on the Reaping still more than a year away, the new trailer offers a glimpse into the scope and ambition of the project. Its blend of political tension, character-driven storytelling and striking visual design signals another major chapter in the evolving Hunger Games universe. As anticipation builds, Glenn Close’s surprising and dramatic transformation stands as one of the film’s early talking points, setting the stage for a return to Panem that promises both familiarity and reinvention.
