'Hunger Games' teaser for 'Sunrise on the Reaping' gives nonstop action, dystopian despair

You don't need to make a visit to the Capitol to get a sneak peek at the latest "Hunger Games" film.

A teaser trailer for "Sunrise on the Reaping," an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' prequel on Katniss Everdeen's mentor Haymitch Abernathy, was released on Thursday, Nov. 20.

The dystopian drama is set 24 years before the events of the series’ first book during the 50th Hunger Games, a special Quarter Quell that occurs every 25 years. Abernathy, who later becomes Everdeen's hardened but loveable adviser, is the victor of these games.

The two-minute clip opens with a chipper Drusilla Sickle, played by Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close, announcing the reaping, or selection process, for the games. Dressed in a neon yellow dress and orange bob that undoubtedly inspired Effie Trinket, Sickle declares, "Welcome, Panem, to the glorious reaping of District 12!"

Abernathy, portrayed by "We Were Liars" star Joseph Zada, and his fellow tributes are then subjected to the grueling battle royale of The Hunger Games, as seen in action-packed snippets that show the young tributes' struggle to hold onto their humanity as they fight for their survival.

"I think these games are gonna be different," Abernathy says in an ominous voiceover at the end of the trailer, which closes with a chilling wide shot of Abernathy reacting to a nearby volcano explosion.

Watch 'Sunrise on the Reaping' trailer

When does 'Sunrise on the Reaping' come out?

"Sunrise on the Reaping" will be released in theaters on Nov. 20, 2026.

Contributing: Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY