McKenna Grace Joins "Hunger Games" Prequel Cast as Maysilee Donner

The new “Hunger Games” prequel, “Sunrise on the Reaping,” has announced that McKenna Grace will take on the role of Maysilee Donner, a tribute from District 12 who will accompany main character Haymitch Abernathy. Released as a novel on March 18, “Sunrise on the Reaping” is set 24 years prior to the events of the original Hunger Games, when Haymitch was selected as one of the unfortunate tributes in the deadly competition. Originally portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the “Hunger Games” series alongside Jennifer Lawrence, the younger Haymitch in this prequel will be played by fresh face Joseph Zada, as revealed yesterday. Additionally, Whitney Peak has been cast as Haymitch’s girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is scheduled to premiere in theaters on November 20, 2026. It’ll be directed by Francis Lawrence, who has consistently guided the franchise since 2012’s “Catching Fire,” from a screenplay adapted by Billy Ray. The production will be handled by Color Force’s Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, while Cameron MacConomy will serve as the executive producer. This upcoming film follows the 2023 prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” set 40 years earlier. That film starred Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird from District 12, with Tom Blyth depicting a young Coriolanus Snow, before his rise to presidency.

Among McKenna Grace’s notable roles are her performances in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and its follow-up “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” Her upcoming projects include an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel “Regretting You” for Paramount. She is also set to star in Blumhouse’s “Kiss of Death,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” “Scream 7,” and Lionsgate’s “Anniversary.”

McKenna Grace is represented by CAA and Entertainment 360, alongside Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox.