Inspired by an 18th-century Scottish philosopher and the modern scourge of misinformation, Suzanne Collins returns to the devastated, post-apocalyptic land of Panem for a new novel 'The Hunger Games'.
Scholastic announced Thursday that “Sunrise on the Reaping,” the fifth installment of Collins' blockbuster dystopian series, will be released March 18, 2025. The new book begins with the harvest of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, which take place 24 years before the original 'Hunger Games'. Games' novel, which came out in 2008, and 40 years after Collins' most recent book, 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'.
Lionsgate, which has released film adaptations of all four previous “Hunger Games” books, announced later Thursday that “Sunrise on the Reaping” will hit theaters on Nov. 20, 2026. Francis Lawrence, who worked on all books except the first 'Hunger Games' film, returns as director.
The first four “Hunger Games” books have sold more than 100 million copies and been translated into dozens of languages. Collins seemingly ended the series after the publication of “Mockingjay” in 2010, writing in 2015 that it was “time to move to other countries.” But four years later, she stunned readers and the publishing industry when she revealed she was working on what would become “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which was released in 2020 and was set 64 years before the first book.
Collins has used Greek mythology and the Roman gladiator games for her previous books about the Hunger Games. But for the upcoming novel she quotes Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume.
“With 'Sunrise on the Reaping' I was inspired by David Hume's idea of implied submission and, in his words, 'the ease with which the many are ruled by the few,'” Collins said in a statement. “The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question 'Real or not real?' seems more urgent to me every day.”
The “Hunger Games” films are a billion-dollar franchise for Lionsgate. Jennifer Lawrence played heroine Katniss Everdeen in the film versions of 'The Hunger Games', 'Catching Fire' and 'Mockingjay', the latter of which was released in two parts. Other actors included Philip Seymour Hoffman, Josh Hutcherson, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland.
“Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative North Star,” Lionsgate Chairman Adam Fogelson said in a statement. “We couldn't be more fortunate than to be guided and trusted by an employee whose talent and imagination are so consistently brilliant.”
The film version of “Songbirds and Snakes,” starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, was released last year. A stage production of “Hunger Games” is scheduled to premiere in London this fall.
