The 78-year-old acting legend debuts a striking new look in the upcoming prequel, which bridges the timeline between the 2023 film 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' and the hit series that propelled Jennifer Lawrence to global fame in 2012. Glenn Close steps into the role of Drusilla Sickle, a chilling Capitol official responsible for overseeing the selection of tributes in the deadly Hunger Games.

Glenn Close's Transformation in 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'

The trailer reveals Glenn Close sporting a bold orange bob with blunt bangs, vivid red lipstick and sharply defined brows as she presides over the reaping ceremony in District 12. The transformation marks one of her most extreme character shifts to date.

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Glenn Close has said in recent interviews that she delights in roles that allow her to fully reinvent herself. She shared that working on 'The Hunger Games' has been an exciting collaboration for her and described the new film as a massive production featuring large crowds, helicopters, chariots and horses.

According to the studio, 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' returns viewers to Panem and follows a young Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, 24 years before the original Hunger Games story begins. The film centres on the morning of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, better known as the Second Quarter Quell.

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Star-Packed Cast of 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'

The star-packed cast includes Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, McKenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak and Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Glenn Close has long been admired for disappearing into roles. In her 2011 film 'Albert Nobbs,' she portrayed a woman living as a male butler in 19th-century Ireland. More recently, in the 2024 horror film 'The Deliverance,' she transformed into a chain-smoking grandmother with a love of flashy outfits and younger men.

Fans will meet her newest character when 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' arrives in theatres on 20th November, 2026.

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While awaiting the prequel's release, viewers can catch Close in Hulu's campy legal series 'All's Fair' and in 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,' the third entry in Rian Johnson's hit detective franchise. Set in a small upstate New York town, the film casts Close as Margaret Delacroix, a church manager and confidante to monsignor Jefferson Wicks, who becomes the victim of a shocking Easter Week murder.

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The studio unveiled the early look at the upcoming prequel 'Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' on 20th November, giving audiences their first glimpse at the origin story of Haymitch Abernathy. The film, directed by Francis Lawrence and adapted from Suzanne Collins' novel, explores how a young Haymitch is forced into the 50th Hunger Games long before he became the mentor portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the original franchise.

Cast of 'Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'

Rising actor Joseph Zada, 20, takes on the role of the younger Haymitch, stepping into the arena as his character faces the brutal Quarter Quell. Zada, known for his breakout in 'We Were Liars,' leads the cast alongside Whitney Peak, who plays Lenore Dove Baird.

The film features an impressive ensemble, including McKenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor, Ben Wang, Edvin Ryding, Elle Fanning, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close, Billy Porter and Iris Apatow. Ralph Fiennes joins the franchise as President Snow, taking over the role previously played by Donald Sutherland.

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More on 'Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'

This new chapter marks the sixth instalment in the blockbuster 'Hunger Games' series. The original films began in 2012 with Jennifer Lawrence starring as Katniss Everdeen, followed by Catching Fire in 2013 and the two Mockingjay films in 2014 and 2015. The series expanded again in 2023 with the prequel 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,' starring Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth.

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'Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' continues to expand Collins' dystopian world by shedding light on Haymitch's legendary Quarter Quell victory, an event that shaped his future and the fate of District 12.

The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' arrives in theatres on 20th November, 2026.

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