How to Get Cast in a ‘Hunger Games’ Production

Set in the dystopian nation of Panem, “The Hunger Games” trilogy begins with the annual “reaping,” as the ruling Capitol requires each of the country’s 12 districts to send two “tributes”—a boy and a girl between ages 12 and 18—to fight to the death in its televised game of survival. The competition is meant to be a punishment for the districts’ failed rebellion decades earlier. 

When Katniss Everdeen’s 12-year-old sister, Primrose, finds herself chosen as a District 12 tribute (during her first reaping, no less), Katniss volunteers to take Prim’s place alongside fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Thrown into the chaos of the games, Katniss defies the rules and alters the expected outcome, shaking Panem to its core. But when Katniss finds herself plunged into the madness of the games once again, amid the Third Quarter Quell, she unknowingly finds herself at the center of an uprising among the districts. With her fellow players plotting to overthrow the Capitol, Katniss becomes the face of a rebellion designed to restore peace throughout Panem and bring an end to the evil President Snow’s reign of terror.

The book series’ first prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” follows a young Coriolanus Snow as he mentors another District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray Baird. An origin story of sorts, this prequel takes place in a post-rebellion Capitol—set 64 years before Katniss enters the games—as the future President Snow fights an internal battle between good and evil.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” will also serve as an origin story, focusing on Haymitch Abernathy—Katniss and Peeta’s mentor—who defied the Capitol to win the Second Quarter Quell 24 years before the trilogy’s events. As someone who’s later known for his drunken ways, this prequel will provide insight into the turmoil that turned him into the sarcastic survivor who became the sole mentor for District 12’s subsequent tributes.

As the film adaptation of “Sunrise on the Reaping” adds cast members to its roster, we are beginning to get a better idea of what this prequel will look like. However, everyone’s familiar with the core cast from the original films:

• Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
• Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus Snow
• Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
• Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
• Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
• Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
• Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
• Willow Shields as Primrose Everdeen
• Paula Malcomson as Mrs. Everdeen
• Lenny Kravitz as Cinna
• Amandla Stenberg as Rue
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee
• Jeffrey Wright as Beetee Latier
• Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair
• Jena Malone as Johanna Mason
• Julianne Moore as President Alma Coin
• Mahershala Ali as Boggs
• Natalie Dormer as Cressida

The film adaptation of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” starred an array of newcomers to the franchise, including Tom Blyth as young Coriolanus, Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow, Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, and Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul.

And now it has been confirmed that Joseph Zada will play young Haymitch Abernathy, and Whitney Peak will play Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s girlfriend and a descendant of Zegler’s Lucy Gray Baird. Other cast members include “Stranger Things” star Maya Hawke, who, according to Variety, is playing Wiress, the 49th victor of the game, previously portrayed by Amanda Plummer. 

Mckenna Grace is also onboard to play Maysilee Donner, District 12’s female tribute, with Jesse Plemons to play young Plutarch Heavensbee. 

Rumors also indicate Ralph Fiennes (as President Coriolanus Snow), Kieran Culkin (as Caesar Flickerman), and Elle Fanning (as Effie Trinket) may be poised to join the cast as younger versions of established characters.

Joe Seer/Shutterstock

Debra Zane of Debra Zane Casting served as the primary CD for every film in the series so far:

• “The Hunger Games” (2012)
• “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013)
• “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1” (2014)
• “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2” (2015)
• “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” (2023)
• “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” (2026)

Zane’s associate, Dylan Jury, also served as CD on “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” The two have collaborated on a number of other films, including Banks’ “Cocaine Bear” (2023) and David Lowery’s “Peter Pan & Wendy” (2023). And the two have teamed up again to bring “Sunrise on the Reaping” to life.

As Zane once told Reuters, CDs have an innate ability to detect when an actor has that certain something that’s perfect for a given role. “I can’t explain to you how people who work in casting know something like that because there are so many elements involved. It’s almost like a chemical reaction where you can say to yourself, ‘The director is going to love this person,’” she said. “I like making sure you’ve turned over every stone and thoroughly thought through all the angles. And then it appears before your eyes.”

Credit: Murray Close

As the Wall Street Journal detailed in 2011, Zane sifted through a slew of Katniss auditions with the help of a Nerf bow-and-arrow set she bought online to help the actors get into character. Though the script remained a secret, fans were already familiar with the book’s premise; and while an estimated 50 people auditioned for the role in person through traditional channels (like talent agents), countless others went to great lengths to get in front of Zane—via snail mail. But as Zane told the outlet, “If you have that thing, you do find your way [to Hollywood],” so she was pretty confident her future star wasn’t in that pile of mail.

After posting the casting call for Katniss online, Zane’s call for a Caucasian female between the ages of 15–20 who could play “underfed but strong” and “naturally pretty underneath her tomboyishness” saw 1,600 résumés pour in. (Lawrence, whose Oscar-nominated turn in Debra Granik’s 2010 drama “Winter’s Bone” was coincidentally also lauded in the same WSJ article, ultimately became the formidable Katniss and a household name.)

To cast “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” Zane and Jury had to shake things up. When casting Lucy, for instance, Zane knew the right actor would need to have singing chops. “The music in this movie is a big part of the story, and [Lucy’s] singing is much different than Katniss’ in ‘The Hunger Games.’ Katniss had this one song; but [Lucy] really sings songs, and she’s a performer in the movie,” Zane told us.

“There was somewhat of a look described in the novel that we were aiming for, but it was pretty loose,” Jury added. “We often said there was a Marilyn Monroe quality that was necessary [for] when [Lucy is] onstage or when she’s in front of the cameras; but then she’s obviously this survivor from the poorest district. She [had] to have that vulnerability, but also that toughness.”

And when it came to casting young Coriolanus Snow, the duo had to find someone who could measure up to the late Donald Sutherland. “We knew [the actor] had to be tall and have that slender, long face,” Zane noted. “We never concern ourselves too much with hair color because there’s a whole department for that sort of thing. We looked at a lot of photos of young Sutherland, of which there are some great [ones]. To this day, I feel so lucky that Tom Blyth auditioned.”

“The character [viewers know as] the villain [is] the protagonist of this story. It had to be someone [you would root for], so likable that you could see past your [existing] perception of [Coriolanus],” Jury said.

Director Francis Lawrence confirmed “Sunrise on the Reaping” will begin filming in July 2025, telling the audience at CinemaCon they have “been working on this draft for a year,” per Variety. Production Weekly also reportedly confirmed filming will take place in Germany.

Courtesy Lionsgate

There are no open casting calls for “Sunrise on the Reaping” at this time. Given the series’ popularity, it’s likely you will need representation if you want to get your foot in the door. Check out our guide on how to get an acting agent if you don’t have one yet. We also recommend checking out this roundup of “Hunger Games”–inspired gigs or bookmarking our main casting call page for the latest listings.

If you’re looking for more audition advice (particularly when it comes to getting cast in a YA adaptation), you can also read these guides:

• How to Get Cast on Max’s New ‘Harry Potter’ Series
• Everything We Know About Netflix’s ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ Adaptation
• How to Get Cast on ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’
• Everything We Know About the ‘A Court of Thorns and Roses’ TV Series

Though Lawrence and Sutherland played mortal enemies onscreen, the actors were of the same mind when it came to the process of landing a role. As Lawrence told us, “Being offered a part is very nice, but there’s something about feeling like you really went in there and earned it. Then, in times of doubt, you know they saw something in you and hired you for a reason. Because I have many moments of doubt, and that’s always been very helpful.”

Similarly, Sutherland said he’d “eagerly and happily” audition for parts because “it’s better to go and audition and show people what you can do.” He added, “It sounds pretentious to say, but just recognize you have to pursue the truth, and if you’re able to find some of it and get people to recognize it, that’s wonderful.” He then referenced poet and essayist Joseph Brodsky’s 1989 Dartmouth commencement speech on boredom: “In the middle of it he says, ‘Try to stay passionate. Leave your cool to the constellations. Passion alone is a remedy against boredom.’ ”

Grace, who’ll join the franchise with “Sunrise on the Reaping,” notes that passion helps you climb up the mountain of rejections to reach new opportunities that few ever recognize. “You often only see the things that people do get, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh! Look at them. They’re getting everything and doing all this, I wish that could be me,’ but there are so many ‘No’s’ that you didn’t really see and so many quiet patches and moments where you’re debating whether or not you should keep going in this industry or whether or not you’re ever going to actually make it,” she told Amplify Her Voice. “...There’s so much rejection and I feel like it’s just important, that if being an actor, a writer, a singer, or anything in the creative field is important to you and you know how to do it and it’s something that you’re really passionate about, then just keep going and work hard to be your best at what you do. Just don’t get discouraged by all the ‘No’s’ because if you don’t, there’s probably a chance that you are going to make it.”

To keep that fire alive, Malone, who played the spicy Johanna, told us that life experience is key. “Without it, I’m nothing—I have nothing to draw from. You’re never really going to be able to understand life until you go out and experience it for yourself,” Malone said. “I think, with acting, you can work back-to-back [on projects] and continue to give something, but without having that sort of bag of tricks that you come in with” it’s hard to bring authenticity to the role because you’ve never felt those emotions on a personal level.

In fact, Moore, who played President Coin, attributes her acting success to the anchor her daily life provides. “I don’t think I could be happy as an actor if I didn’t have a really fulfilling personal life,” she told the Cut. “That’s the great thing about having a real life and having a creative life: You can have both. I don’t like those narratives that say somehow you have to give up being a human being to be a creative person.” By nurturing who you are outside the audition room, you can become the person you’ve always wanted to be, thereby bringing your A-game when you need to impress the powers that be.