Source : the age
Ever since the latest instalment of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series was announced, fans have been feverishly speculating over who would bring its lead, the young Haymitch Abernathy, to life on screen. Some of the top guesses included Hollywood stars like Leo Woodall and Mike Faist – but it turns out a young Australian actor will be the new face of the hyper-popular franchise.
Joseph Zada, a 20-year-old Sydneysider, will play a 16-year-old Haymitch in the Sunrise on the Reaping film adaptation.
Joseph Zada, who plays Charlie Roth in the new Australian series Invisible Boys, will star in the Sunrise on the Reaping film.
Zada has appeared in a number of Australian productions, including Invisible Boys, Total Control and The Speedway Murders, but this will be his first role in a major blockbuster movie. He will also star in the soon-to-be-released Amazon Prime series We Were Liars, and alongside A-listers including Florence Pugh in Netflix’s East of Eden.
Set for release in November 2026, Sunrise on the Reaping will be the sixth film in the dystopian fantasy franchise. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, published in March, it explores Haymitch’s time in the “Hunger Games”, a televised fight to the death. Haymitch was first introduced in the original trilogy as Katniss Everdeen’s alcoholic mentor and was played by Woody Harrelson.
American actress Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl, Hocus Pocus 2) will star alongside Zada as Haymitch’s girlfriend Lenore Dove Baird.
Following the cast announcement, producer Nina Jacobson said the team oversaw “an exhaustive and exhausting” search to find “a young actor with the skill and imagination to embody young Haymitch”.
“Jo [Zada] prepared like crazy and stole our hearts,” she said. “Then Whitney took our breath away as Lenore Dove. When we put the two of them together, it was one of those magical casting moments when you know your search has led you home.”
Embodying a fan favourite character like Haymitch will be tough, especially when taking over from a highly acclaimed actor such as Harrelson. Speaking to Variety earlier this month, Jacobson said, “nobody can be Woody Harrelson but Woody Harrelson”. However, they were searching for an actor with a similar kind of inherent mischief, paired with the vulnerability that comes with being a teen.
To date, The Hunger Games movies have collectively made more than $5 billion at the global box office. Though they have included stars such as Viola Davis and Donald Sutherland, they have also transformed lesser-known actors into household names, including Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson.
Sunrise on the Reaping sold 1.5 million copies in its first week on sale in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and interest in the film adaptation is expected to be strong.
It will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who has led every instalment of the franchise since Catching Fire in 2012. Billy Ray, the screenwriter behind Captain Phillips and the first Hunger Games movie, will pen the adapted screenplay.
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