Summary

• The new Hunger Games prequel, "Sunrise on the Reaping," will focus on Haymitch Abernathy, a District 12 winner like Katniss and Peeta.
• District 12 winners stand out for defying or embarrassing The Capitol in unique ways, impacting Panem's history significantly.
• While other districts in Panem have not been thoroughly explored, District 12 winners have played a crucial role in shaping the franchise.

Four years after the release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, The Hunger Games movies are based on Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel of the same name. The franchise is set in Panem, a dystopian world where two children from 12 districts are made to fight to death in the Hunger Games. Yet while different Hunger Games movies haven't always relied on this setup, there is one trend the franchise won't break.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is the installment in the series that might continue a trend The Hunger Games books have followed. Not much is known about the new prequel except the scant details that Suzanne Collins has revealed. The Hunger Games franchise has been so successful that Lionsgate announced the release date on the same day the company revealed it would be adapting the prequel into a movie. Yet while most of the information about the projects is carefully under wraps, some details confirm a crucial franchise trend is continuing.

Hunger Games Has Only Explored The Years When District 12 Won

The Other Districts In Panem Have Not Been Thoroughly Explored

The Hunger Games has 12 districts, each playing a unique role in ing Panem’s economy, but so far the series has only explored the years in which District 12 won. The first book in the series, The Hunger Games, focused on the year Katniss and Peeta, two tributes from District 12, became victors. The prequel to The Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was set 64 years before Katniss and Peeta’s time, explored the year Lucy Gray Baird won the 10th Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be published on March 18, 2025.

The new Hunger Games prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, will continue this trend as it will focus on Haymitch Abernathy, another District 12 winner. So far, only The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has explored the other districts in more detail. More details about Districts 11 and 2 are revealed in the prequel, which explains how The Capitol controls the Districts. Despite the District 12 trend continuing with Sunrise on the Reaping, it is worth noting that other years in Panem’s history are also worth exploring, such as the year Finnick Odair won the Hunger Games and became the youngest victor.

Why Hunger Games Is So Focused On District 12's Winners

The District 12 Winners Are Unique

Despite Haymitch Abernathy won the 50th Hunger Games in a unique way.

Haymitch took part in the Second Quarter Quell and became the victor when he used the force field surrounding the arena against his last opponent. Haymitch’s knowledge of the force field and his tactics in the arena humiliated The Capitol, so President Snow had his mother, younger brother, and girlfriend killed as punishment. This follows the template provided by Katniss and Peeta, whose District 12 victory was equally humiliating and ultimately ended President Snow’s tyranny. While it might be interesting for The Hunger Games to focus on winners from other districts, it’s clear that District 12 winners have the biggest impact.