Lionsgate has tapped Canadian actor-dancer Jhaleil Swaby to play Panache Barker, a ruthless District 1 career tribute, in “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” the prequel that starts lensing in July under returning director Francis Lawrence. The studio’s latest casting move arrives weeks before production begins and ahead of the film’s planned 20 November 2026 theatrical launch.
Based on Suzanne Collins’ March 18 novel—which moved 1.5 million copies in its first week—the movie revisits the 50th Hunger Games, or Second Quarter Quell, set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteers in District 12. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Billy Ray returns alongside producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson to maintain franchise continuity.
Swaby joins a roster led by Australian newcomer Joseph Zada as a 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, with Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove, Maya Hawke and Lili Taylor as past victors Wiress and Mags, and Ralph Fiennes reprising President Snow
. Veteran heavyweights Glenn Close and Billy Porter were added earlier this week as District 12 escort Drusilla Sickle and stylist Magno Stift, underscoring Lionsgate’s mix-and-match strategy of pairing award winners with emerging talent.
Collins says the new chapter was shaped by philosopher David Hume’s reflections on “the easiness with which the many are governed by the few,” prompting “a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative”. Lawrence echoed that intent at CinemaCon, promising “Games that are going to be different” after “a year” of script work.
Studio chair Adam Fogelson calls Collins “our creative north star” and argues the Second Quarter Quell “looms large over the history of the Games,” positioning the prequel to extend a series that has already grossed $3.3 billion worldwide. Wall-Street optimism is buoyed by the $337 million haul of 2023’s Songbirds & Snakes on a $100 million budget, suggesting another profitable outing for the dystopian saga.
For Swaby, 26, the role marks a career leap after recurring turns on Canada’s The Next Step and Amazon’s The Lake. Fan accounts such as Panem Propaganda hailed the franchise’s first Black male career tribute with crossed-sword emojis and calls for a more diverse arena.
