Sunrise On The Reaping director thinks Plutarch Heavensbee could lead his own Hunger Games

Francis Lawrence also praised co-star Jesse Plemons for his performance in the franchise's latest prequel.

By Jarrod Jones  |  November 7, 2026 | 3:16pm
Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate
Film News The Hunger Games
Sunrise On The Reaping director thinks Plutarch Heavensbee could lead his own Hunger Games

As The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping nears its November 20 release, its director is sharing ideas for a new spinoff in the Lionsgate franchise—and he already has a Hunger Games character in mind to take the lead. Speaking on the red carpet at a U.K. fan screening of Reaping in late October, director Francis Lawrence said he’s interested in exploring the life of Plutarch Heavensbee, the secret revolutionary in the popular Suzanne Collins series, at some point in the future. “You know, I thought about this,” Lawrence told Lionsgate’s social media team about his dream Games spinoff (per The Wrap). “There’s so many characters that I love. I think Plutarch [Heavensbee] is a really interesting character, and [co-star Jesse Plemons] just did a tremendous job.” Plemons took on the role first played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in the last three Hunger Games movies to star Jennifer Lawrence. (As for Katniss Everdeen, she recently let slip that she and co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson will also appear in the new prequel.) “Seeing a Plutarch story would be really interesting,” the director said. 

Plemons leading a solo Hunger Games movie would be an interesting move for the franchise. Reaping and Lawrence’s 2023 prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes also focus on the history of a consequential figure from Katniss Everdeen’s revolutionary era (Joseph Zada’s Haymitch Abernathy and Tom Blyth’s future president Coriolanus Snow, respectively). Plus, other sci-fi dystopian franchises have “reaped” rich ore from their prequel expansions—namely, Tony Gilroy’s Andor, the acclaimed Star Wars prequel that turned a secondary prequel figure into one of the franchise’s richest characters. A Heavensbee-focused prequel with Plemons in the lead could tap into similarly thrilling cloak-and-dagger territory as Andor, with Heavensbee oscillating between his Capitol propaganda work and subversive duties for the rebellion. The idea appeals to Hunger Games producer Nina Jacobsen, who also waxed enthusiastic about the character at the Reaping screening. “I’m a Plutarch obsessive, especially once you read [Collins’ latest book],” she said. “He’s been at this for twenty-five years, playing both sides. Like, how did you pull that off?”

You can watch Lawrence and Jacobson talk up Plutarch Heavensbee in an Instagram clip here.

 
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