On Monday, The Hunger Games released the official trailer for its newest book adaptation, “Sunrise on the Reaping,” and fans have already expressed excitement over the accuracy to the book thus far.
The trailer offers a first real look at the newly added actors’ interpretations of returning, albeit much younger, characters. After a clear wide shot of the colorful arena, we are met with the movie’s lead, Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada), before he sits face-to-face with President Snow (Ralph Fiennes).
“As someone who hasn’t watched the other movies in a while, it made me feel genuinely excited to watch it in November,” Aleyni Ramos, sophomore creative writing and journalism major, said. “I can’t wait to see Joseph Zada playing such a large role.”
The trailer also captures a first look at Effie Trinket (Elle Fanning, who appears to be a fan favorite), who is Haymitch’s surprising ally from the Capitol, Caesar Flickerman (Kieran Culkin), Wiress (Maya Hawke), and many more returning characters.
“I literally got chills because it was so good and the casting is perfect,” Taylor Derbes, senior nursing student, said.
Continuing to build anticipation, not only did we hear many of the introduced characters speak for the first time, but we also got a glimpse into the operations of the game’s arena throughout the almost 3-minute-long trailer.
Similarities between what has now been released from the film and the book have caused quite a reaction from many fans. Not only does the teenage Haymitch embody the original Haymitch, but major scenes from the book match what has been shown almost perfectly.
“I literally watched the trailer 3 times in a row to catch little things I missed and just to hear Joseph Zada say ‘They’re 100 percent stupid as usual’ and sound exactly like Woody Harrelson,” Dayna Reyes, senior media management major, said.
The trailer showcases the arena, which is undeniably aesthetic and features parallels between the book and movie. It begins with a beautifully designed arena to mimic beautiful meadows with butterflies fluttering around. Then showing the characters in the midst of a game of survival, reminding us what the book emphasized well, that the beauty of this special arena cannot be trusted.
The Hunger Games franchise has had a huge fan base for a long time, and based on reactions from this trailer, it seems new audiences are even joining in. It isn’t just Joseph Zada fans or Hunger Games movie fans who are sharing their excitement—book lovers are just as thrilled with the potential of this adaptation.
“Even though I read the book a while ago, I couldn’t help but notice some book moments already in the trailer,” Reyes said. “For example, Plutarch snapping at the cameraman to rerecord the reaping scene after Haymitch replaced the first male tribute or Maysilee’s attitude towards being cleaned up for the ceremony.”
In just the trailer, the Hunger Games franchise has managed to catch the attention of millions again. On the first day, it received almost 2 million views, a number that continues to grow.
“You can even already see the connection between Haymitch and Ampert without them saying a word to each other in any clips,” Reyes said. “I am already an emotional wreck; I need it to come out like now.”
Sunrise on the Reaping is set to release in theaters on November 20.