Elle Fanning Cast as Young Effie Trinket in Upcoming ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel

Lionsgate has officially confirmed that Elle Fanning will play a young Effie Trinket in the highly anticipated The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The film, based on Suzanne Collins’ forthcoming novel, will explore the 50th Hunger Games — also known as the Second Quarter Quell — set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s rise.

Elle Fanning poses at a promotional event; she has been cast as young Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

Scheduled for release on November 20, 2026, the prequel will delve into the brutal tournament that shaped Haymitch Abernathy, the sole survivor from District 12 in that Quell, offering a darker, deeper look at the Capitol’s deadly spectacle.


The cast features:

Joseph Zada as young Haymitch Abernathy

Ralph Fiennes as President Coriolanus Snow

Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee

Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird

McKenna Grace as Maysilee Donner

Maya Hawke as Wiress

Lili Taylor as Mags Flanagan

Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier

Ben Wang as Wyatt Callow

Francis Lawrence, who directed four of the five previous Hunger Games films, returns to helm the project. The screenplay is written by Billy Ray, promising a faithful adaptation that expands the franchise’s lore.

Elle Fanning’s casting as Effie Trinket — a character originally played by Elizabeth Banks — has sparked major buzz. Fans are eager to see how she brings new depth to the stylish and often conflicted Capitol escort during her earlier years.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is expected to deliver an emotional and politically charged story that continues to captivate both longtime fans and new audiences.

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