“Sunrise on the Reaping,” which is based on the 2025 novel of the same name, is set 24 years before the first “Hunger Games” movie. Because it centers on a young Haymitch, most fans assumed that Harrelson would not be involved with the film.

Sunrise on the Reaping movie was announced last year, director Francis Lawrence explains why casting only just started.

Haymitch will take center stage in the sixth Hunger Games movie, based on Suzanne Collins' latest prequel novel