Elle Fanning Cast as Young Effie Trinket in THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE OF THE REAPING — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant

21-05-2025

Lionsgate has officially cast Elle Fanning actress as a younger Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping , the next installment in the billion-dollar dystopian franchise.
Directed by Francis Lawrence and based on Suzanne Collins' upcoming novel, Fanning steps into the shoes of the iconic Capitol escort originally played by Elizabeth Banks in the first four films.
But Sunrise on the Reaping is set decades before Katniss volunteered as tribute, centering on the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, and the earlier lives of several key characters.
In this story, Effie is paired with a young Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, as his assigned Capitol liaison.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erin Westermant: 'From the moment Suzanne released the book, one question echoed from fans around the world: Who will play Effie?
'Elizabeth Banks made her iconic — so who could honor that legacy while bringing us back to Effie's early, most formative days? For us, there was only one answer.
'Elle Fanning's career has been transcendent. She has a rare presence — warm, sparkling and layered with extraordinary depth. She was the undeniable fan favorite from the start, and we're honored she answered the call. The odds, it turns out, were in our favor.'
The cast for Sunrise on the Reaping also includes Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor, Ben Wang, and Ralph Fiennes as President Snow.
The film is scripted by Billy Ray and produced by franchise veterans Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson for Color Force, with Cameron MacConomy executive producing.
The story picks up 24 years before the events of the original Hunger Games, during a pivotal moment in Panem's history. Sunrise on the Reaping is going to dig deeper into the origins of characters we thought we already knew.
Fanning, who's had an impressive run of late with A Complete Unknown and Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value , which just premiered at Cannes, is also set to appear in the Apple TV+ series Margo's Got Money Troubles and 20th Century's Predator: Badlands .
She's a great young actress and she's going to be wonderful in the role of Effie Trinket.
The film is slated for release on November 20, 2026.