It is almost time to revisit Panem. The first five “Hunger Games” films return to theaters Sept. 3-7, ahead of November’s “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” which takes audiences back to the 50th Hunger Games, otherwise known as the Second Quarter Quell.
In it, we’ll learn what happened to Haymitch Abernathy long before he became the cynical, hard-drinking mentor we met in “The Hunger Games.” Woody Harrelson played Haymitch in the original films; Joseph Zada takes over the role in “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” set 24 years before the first movie.
Prequels have become one of Hollywood’s favorite ways to revisit familiar characters, showing us who they were before heartbreak, trauma, ambition or plain old bad decisions turned them into the people we know.
Earlier screen prequels have gone back to the younger years of Carrie Bradshaw in “The Carrie Diaries,” Norman Bates in “Bates Motel,” Cruella de Vil in “Cruella,” Willy Wonka in “Wonka,” Dexter Morgan in “Dexter: Original Sin” and Elle Woods in “Elle.” Those stories showed the characters before they became the writer, killer, villain, chocolatier, antihero and lawyer audiences already knew.
Sometimes knowing where a character ends up makes finding out their origin story even more interesting.
Here are upcoming book-born characters who are getting the prequel treatment on screen.
‘Hunger Games’ characters
Haymitch won’t be the only familiar face getting a younger counterpart. Ralph Fiennes plays President Coriolanus Snow, Elle Fanning plays Effie Trinket and Maya Hawke plays Wiress. Jesse Plemons, Kieran Culkin, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Lili Taylor play younger versions of Plutarch Heavensbee, Caesar Flickerman, Beetee Latier and Mags Flanagan. Based on Suzanne Collins’ 2025 novel, “Sunrise on the Reaping” opens in theaters Nov. 20.
This is the franchise’s second look at a younger Snow’s life. In 2023’s “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” Tom Blyth (“People We Meet on Vacation”) plays a teen Coriolanus Snow, decades before Donald Sutherland played the president of Panem. The film follows the ambitious 18-year-old who mentors District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) during the 10th Hunger Games and shows how he becomes the ruthless schemer we know.
The Sinclair Sisters in ‘We Were Liars’
Based on the 2014 young adult bestseller by E. Lockhart, “We Were Liars” focuses on the wealthy Sinclair family and three sisters, Penny, Carrie and Bess, and their children. It was adapted into a Prime Video series in June 2025 and stars Caitlin FitzGerald, Mamie Gummer and Candice King as the wealthy—and competitive—Sinclair sisters. The sisters are always bickering over matters big and small. The story centers on Cadence Sinclair Eastman (Emily Alyn Lind), Penny’s daughter, who has no memory of the tragedy on her grandfather’s private island and tries to piece together the mystery.
Season 2, based on Lockhart’s prequel, “Family of Liars,” will show the sisters in their teen years, and if it follows the book, there will be betrayal and heartbreak along the way. Parker Lapaine, Elysia Roorbach and Madison Wolfe will play the younger Carrie, Penny and Bess, respectively. Josh Dallas will play a younger Harris Sinclair, Peyton List a younger Tipper Sinclair and Costa D’Angelo will play Pfeff. The show is currently in production.
Aragorn, ‘The Lord of the Rings’
“Fifty Shades of Grey” actor Jamie Dornan will play a younger version of Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn in the upcoming addition to the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.” The prequel is set between “The Hobbit” and “The Fellowship of the Ring” and follows Aragorn, still known as the ranger Strider, as he hunts for Gollum at Gandalf’s request. Gandalf believes Gollum’s knowledge of the One Ring could help him understand the growing threat. The story gives audiences a look at Aragorn before the future king joined the Fellowship.
The film is not based on a standalone book, but expands on a story mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel “The Lord of the Rings.”
Previously announced cast members include Kate Winslet, who plays a character named Marigol. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, Lee Pace as Thranduil and Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins.
Andy Serkis directs and reprises his role as Gollum/Sméagol. Anya Taylor-Joy and Leo Woodall have also joined the cast as Seren and Halvard. The film is set to hit theaters Dec. 17, 2027.
Younger Rambo, ‘John Rambo’
Sylvester Stallone’s popular Vietnam War veteran character “Rambo” came from David Morrell’s 1972 novel “First Blood,” which was also the name of the 1982 Rambo film. It was followed by 1985 and 1988 blockbusters “Rambo: First Blood Part II” and “Rambo III.” Rambo returned again as the tough military hero in an eponymous film in 2008 and “Rambo: Last Blood” in 2019. Stallone co-wrote the screenplays of all five films and directed the fourth.
Now, Rambo is back, but this time Noah Centineo (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) plays a pre-“First Blood” John Rambo. Director Jalmari Helander said, “When I was eleven, I saw ‘First Blood’ for the first time, and it changed my life. Rambo wasn’t just a film to me—it stayed with me growing up and was a defining influence on why I wanted to become a filmmaker. As we begin production on the origin of John Rambo, we’re going back to the beginning. This is Rambo stripped down, raw, and real—a survival story about endurance, persistence, and lost innocence. It’s an honor to shape this next chapter with deep respect for the character and the legacy, and to bring audiences the start of John Rambo’s journey.”
Stallone will be the film’s executive producer. “John Rambo” will premiere in theaters June 4, 2027.
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