The new Haymitch is revealed in a new Hunger Games: Harvest Sunrise video
Joseph Zada will be young Haymitch Abernathy, previously played by Woody Harrelson, in Sunrise Over the Harvest.
Happy birthday Haymitch Abernathy!
This weekend in the USA was Independence Day. And in The Hunger Games, every July 4 is Harvest Day, this famous Reaping Day during which the selection of tributes is made for the Hunger Games by drawing lots, among all citizens of the districts of Panem between the ages of twelve and eighteen. A day that coincides every year with Haymitch Abernathy’s birthday!
Lionsgate took advantage of the moment to publish a new video of Hunger Games: Sunrise over the Harvest. The opportunity to discover new images of the prequel, expected in theaters this fall, but above all to learn more about the new incarnation of one of the most popular characters in the saga.
The video highlights the unknown Joseph Zada. The Australian actor, featured in the teen series We liars, succeeds Woody Harrelson in the role of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s future mentor.
In this featurette, the actor reflects on the challenge of playing a younger version of this cult hero, while director Francis Lawrence, producer Nina Jacobson and several members of the cast discuss the influence of Harrelson’s performance on his composition.
Along the way, we discover new images from the film, which promise to show the origins of Haymitch’s rebellious spirit, long before he became the disillusioned mentor discovered in the original films.
Adapted from the latest novel by Suzanne Collins, the story takes place 24 years before the events of the main saga, on the morning of the Harvest of the 50th Hunger Games, also called the Second Atonement (Second Quarter Quell). This famous edition will see Haymitch be selected to participate in the Games, an event which will have a lasting impact on his destiny.
Elle Fanning will star alongside Zada in the role of young Effie Trinket and Kieran Culkin as young Caesar Flickerman, the host of the games. And then Jesse Plemons will play a young Plutarch Heavensbee and Glenn Close will be Drusilla Sickle (the head of District 12), as well as Mckenna Grace (Maysilee Donner) and Maya Hawke (a young Wiress) from Stranger Things…
Directed by Francis Lawrence, the film is written by Billy Ray and produced by Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, alongside the director.
Hunger Games: Sunrise over the Harvest will be released in theaters on November 18 in France.
