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Despite dystopian fantasy novels filling up bookstores on every street corner around the world, only a rare few manage to never go out of stock. It may be as ancient as J.R.R. Tolkien’sThe Hobbit(1937) or as recent as Suzanne Collins’sThe Hunger Games(2008), but the allure of escaping into a universe beyond one’s imagination never fails to attract crowds of fans thirsty for an escape.

Jennifer Lawrence in Hunger Games Catching Fire [Credit Lionsgate Films]

Jennifer Lawrence inHunger Games: Catching Fire[Credit: Lionsgate Films]The maddeningly captivating lore of Suzanne Collins’sHunger Gamesplays with the audience’s imagination on a level never foretold before. Like J.R.R. Tolkien’s mythology of Middle-earth, J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts, and George R.R. Martin’s Westeros, the dystopian city of Panem that serves as the setting of the Hunger Games then ushers in a world crafted by an excess of violence, control, power, political machinations, and tragedy.

Suzanne Collins Goes Back in Time for Haymitch Abernathy

If the world of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark was not disturbingly violent enough, Suzanne Collins takes her readers back to the year of Haymitch Abernathy’s reaping. As part of a Quarter Quell, the 50th Hunger Games had the Capitol demanding twice as many tributes from each District“as a reminder thattwo rebels died for each Capitol citizen”during the First Rebellion.

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy inThe Hunger Games[Credit: Lionsgate Films]Set during the Second Quarter Quell, the new prequel novel titledThe Hunger Games: Sunrise of the Reapingdives into a world where a young and undeterred Haymitch Abernathy still had something to fight for. Although the lore behind the 50th Hunger Games has already been explored in the original works, there remains an element of mystery to the universe that crowned a dying Haymitch Abernathy as District 12’s victor even while slaughtering his entire family as retribution.

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games [Credit: Lionsgate Films]

“It happened so quickly”: Hunger Games is Intricately Linked To Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death in More Ways Than One

Filled with the potential allure of being branded as a tragic hero, the tale of Haymitch Abernathy only begins during the Second Quarter Quell. As such, it feels like a brash waste of resources not to bring his story to light, despite the foreknowledge of where his arc is headed.

Hunger GamesFans Already Have the Perfect Cast in Mind

Jeremy Allen White inThe Bear[Credit: FX]Portrayed excellently byWoody Harrelsonin theHunger Gamesfilm series, the Haymitch Abernathy that the fans have grown to admire and adore seems a far cry from the one who answered his reaping on the eve of the Second Quarter Quell. Despite his drunken self-imposed isolation and sassy sarcastic indifference, Harrelson’s Abernathy was a tragic figure who rose to action when the circumstance called for it.

After years of him slowly degrading in the background, the character’s arc comes full circle when he finally serves a part in the Second Rebellion, helping to end the Hunger Games once and for all. With an arc as fulfilling as his, it only seems fair to exploit Haymitch Abernathy’s potential to be the lead of a whole newHunger Gamesprequel film, especially considering the market still remains profitable for the franchise today.

“It happened so quickly”: Hunger Games is Intricately Linked To Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death in More Ways Than One

“We also want a movie version”: Jennifer Lawrence Has No Way to Return in New Hunger Games Story Set after 40 Year Time-Skip

With that thought in mind, fans have come up with the perfect casting for a younger version of the character that Woody Harrelson plays inTheHunger Gamesseries. It seems thatThe BearstarJeremy Allen Whitehas risen to the top of the charts when it comes to in-demand A-listers, making him not only an attractive choice overall but alsoa perfect fit for the role[viaX].

The Hunger Games: Sunrise of the Reapingis slated to launch on August 20, 2025. Its film adaptation is expected to premiere on June 22, 2025.

Jeremy Allen White in The Bear [Credit: FX]

Diya Majumdar

Senior Writer

Articles Published :2410

Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.

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Hunger GamesJeremy Allen WhiteWoody Harrelson

“We also want a movie version”: Jennifer Lawrence Has No Way to Return in New Hunger Games Story Set after 40 Year Time-Skip