Ralph Fiennes Cast as President Snow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Ralph Fiennes has been confirmed to portray President Coriolanus Snow in Lionsgate's latest adaptation from the Hunger Games series, titled The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The announcement came through the official Hunger Games X/Twitter account, marking Fiennes as the latest addition to the franchise's cast and taking on one of its most pivotal roles.

Ralph Fiennes. Image credit: Daniele Venturelli/WireImage.

Sunrise on the Reaping is set in the timeline between the four Hunger Games films starring Jennifer Lawrence and the 2023 prequel, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The latter introduced a young Snow, portrayed by Tom Blyth, evolving into the dictator famously played by Donald Sutherland in the original series. Fiennes' portrayal will depict a middle-aged Snow, coinciding with the narrative focusing on Haymitch Abernathy, a tribute from District 12 who becomes a Hunger Games victor.

Producer Nina Jacobson expressed her excitement about Fiennes joining the cast, saying, "We wanted to honor Donald Sutherland by having one of this generation’s greatest actors play President Snow 24 years before Katniss Everdeen entered the arena. Working with Ralph has been on my bucket list since he traumatized me for life in Schindler's List. It’s genuinely a thrill to welcome him to the Hunger Games."

While Fiennes' casting is highly anticipated, he isn't the only exciting addition to the film. Jesse Plemons, known for his roles in Breaking Bad and Civil War, has been cast as a younger version of Plutarch Heavensbee, originally played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Joseph Zada, recognized from Total Control and Invisible Boys, will take on the role of Haymitch.

President Snow.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – in theaters November 20, 2026. pic.twitter.com/mj9gXk1hTt

— The Hunger Games (@TheHungerGames) May 16, 2025

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is based on the 2025 novel by Suzanne Collins and is slated for a theatrical release on November 20, 2026. The film will be directed by series veteran Francis Lawrence, with the screenplay penned by the original Hunger Games writer, Billy Ray. The project was announced last summer, followed by a teaser trailer released in April.