Ralph Fiennes has been cast as President Snow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

      Lionsgate has cast its new President Snow for the prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Ralph Fiennes, who recently received an Oscar nomination for Conclave, will portray the franchise's principal antagonist.

      Fiennes succeeds the late Donald Sutherland, who depicted Snow in the original Hunger Games films, and Tom Blyth, who played a younger version of Snow in the first prequel, The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. President Coriolanus Snow has been the merciless dictator of Panem for many years, imposing the brutal realities of the Hunger Games upon the twelve districts and maintaining a stringent grip on the Capitol.

      Producer Nina Jacobson of Color Force stated, “We wanted to pay tribute to Donald Sutherland by having one of today’s finest actors portray President Snow 24 years before Katniss Everdeen entered the arena. It has been a dream for me to work with Ralph since he left a lasting impact on me in Schindler’s List. We are truly excited to have him join The Hunger Games.”

      Over the years, Fiennes has built a reputation for playing villainous roles in movies such as Schindler’s List, Red Dragon, the Harry Potter series, and The Duchess, among others. He is also recognized for his roles in lighter films, portraying a ‘good guy’ in Daniel Craig’s James Bond films as the new M, The King’s Man, The Constant Gardener, and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

      The book Sunrise on the Reaping, released in March by Suzanne Collins, takes fans back to the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, featuring the beloved character Haymitch Abernathy, who was chosen as one of District 12’s tributes and ultimately won the competition, later mentoring Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark nearly 25 years afterward in their own Games.

      The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping stars Joseph Zada (Invisible Boys) as Haymitch Abernathy, Whitney Peak (Hocus Pocus 2) as Lenore Dove Baird, McKenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) as Maysilee Donner, Jesse Plemons (Civil War) as Plutarch Heavensbee, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Mufasa: The Lion King) as Beetee, Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) as Wiress, Lili Taylor (Outer Range) as Mags, and Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) as President Snow.

      Francis Lawrence returns to direct Sunrise on the Reaping after helming every Hunger Games film since Catching Fire, with the original screenwriter Billy Ray crafting the script.

      The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is set to premiere on November 20th, 2026.

      Ricky Church – Follow me on Bluesky for more film news and discussions.