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Is Jennifer Lawrence returning as Katniss? Maya Hawke may have just let biggest ‘Hunger Games’ secret slip

Maya Hawke gushes over Jennifer Lawrence’s influence while hinting at her return as Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming ‘Hunger Games’ prequel

Maya Hawke may have just dropped one of the biggest teases yet for ‘The Hunger Games’ franchise’s next chapter. The actress confirmed that Jennifer Lawrence is set to return as Katniss Everdeen in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,’ as per PEOPLE. Hawke appeared on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ on Thursday, January 8, where the conversation turned to her role in the anticipated prequel film. Hawke is joining the franchise as Wiress, a character previously portrayed by Amanda Plummer in ‘Catching Fire.’ Hawke took a moment to reflect on just how influential the film series, and Lawrence in particular, has been on her own journey as an actor.

According to Hawke, “Jennifer Lawrence's performance in the first four movies is a big part of the reason why I want to be an actor. She's amazing.” Hawke also shared that she recently watched Lawrence’s new film ‘Die My Love’ while in Germany during production on ‘Sunrise on the Reaping.’ “I'm just such a big fan of hers, and so to be anywhere near that franchise means the world to me,” she added. When Fallon directly asked whether Lawrence would be returning to the franchise, Hawke hesitated briefly and nodded before asking, “We're allowed to say that? People know?” Fallon jokingly reassured her that the news was out.

‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ is based on Suzanne Collins’ 2025 novel of the same name and takes place decades before Katniss’ story begins. The film centers on a young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) as he competes in the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. The story takes place approximately 24 years before the events of the original ‘Hunger Games’ film. While the prequel focuses primarily on Haymitch, readers of Collins’ novel know that Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark do appear in an epilogue chapter set years later.

That plot detail has fueled speculation about Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson returning to their iconic roles in a brief but meaningful capacity, likely through a flash-forward. Hutcherson previously addressed the possibility of revisiting Panem during a November 2025 interview with Variety. At the time, he shared that he was unaware of the epilogue involving Katniss and Peeta until the novel was published earlier that year. He expressed, “I would love to be back on set with Francis, with Jen, with Liam, with Woody. It would not take any convincing at all.”

When asked directly whether he would appear in ‘Sunrise on the Reaping,’ Hutcherson playfully said, “That would be a dream come true. Do dreams come true? Sometimes. Sometimes not. Sometimes, yeah.” A month later, those hints were seemingly confirmed when The Hollywood Reporter reported that both Lawrence and Hutcherson were officially returning, though no details about their scenes or screen time were disclosed. Lawrence herself has not publicly commented on her reported return to the franchise, making Hawke’s comments all the more notable. Furthermore, ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping ‘is scheduled to hit theaters on November 20.