Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping's President Snow Lands A Modern Master Of Villains

After portraying one of the most well-intentioned, pious cardinals around in the recent "Conclave," Ralph Fiennes is returning to much more familiar waters as the biggest and baddest villain in the entirety of the "Hunger Games" franchise. After having quite a bit of success with the spinoff/prequel film "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," Lionsgate is going full-tilt with the latest book adaptation from series author Suzanne Collins: "Sunrise on the Reaping." The new movie is meant to tell the story of a young Haymitch Abernathy, the alcoholic veteran of the Games previously portrayed as an older man by Woody Harrelson. That time period necessitates an appearance by the fascistic President Cornelius Snow, of course, and the studio has officially landed on Fiennes for the role.

The news arrives courtesy of Variety, which should actually come as little surprise to anyone who's followed the character actor's career to this point. Famously cast as none other than Lord Voldemort in the "Harry Potter" movies, Fiennes has extensive experience playing the role of lead antagonist throughout several movies in the past. Snow was previously depicted by the late, great Donald Sutherland in the original "Hunger Games" movies and again by Tom Blyth in "Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." He'll be a bit older this time around, however, but no less formidable. In a statement, producer Nina Jacobson had this to say about the casting:

"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."

We might know the exact fate of President Cornelius Snow in the long run, thanks to the events of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2" (not to mention the beloved source material), but that doesn't mean there isn't a surprise or two left to be uncovered. That begins with the casting of Ralph Fiennes, who might not have been at the top of most fans' wish list for the role. Indeed, certain fans on social media began gravitating towards the idea of casting Donald Sutherland's real-life son, "24" star Kiefer Sutherland, as a younger version of the main villain. This would've paired nicely with the idea of bringing Cooper Hoffman on board as a younger Plutarch Heavensbee, stepping into the shoes of his own late, famous father, Philip Seymour Hoffman. Neither of those were meant to be, of course, as Jesse Plemons was instead brought on board (along with Fiennes).

In "Sunrise on the Reaping," Fiennes will be joined by fellow cast members Joseph Zada as our new Haymitch, Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird, Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Maya Hawke as Wiress, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as a young Beetee Latier (the same character played by Jeffrey Wright in "Catching Fire"), Plemons as Heavensbee, and more. The movie will be directed by franchise stalwart Francis Lawrence, a familiar face to anyone who's watched, well, literally any of the last several "The Hunger Games" movies made since 2013. The upcoming blockbuster is based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins, which was published barely even a month prior to this news release.

"Sunrise on the Reaping" hits theaters on November 20, 2026.