Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close is virtually unrecognizable in the first trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the upcoming prequel to the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise. Lionsgate released the teaser on November 20, 2025, giving fans a first glimpse of Close as Drusilla Sickle, a sinister Hunger Games official overseeing the deadly Reaping in District 12.
The film, starring Joseph Zada as a young Haymitch Abernathy, hits theaters on November 20, 2026, bringing a thrilling new chapter to Suzanne Collins’ dystopian universe.
Glenn Close’s Stunning Transformation
In the trailer, Close dons an orange bob with blunt bangs, bright red lipstick, and arched eyebrows, completely changing her look for the role. Her character, Drusilla Sickle, exudes authority and menace, ushering in the tributes for the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
“I just think of character stuff as really fun,” Close told Entertainment Tonight. “I’m doing The Hunger Games now and that’s another amazing collaboration I’m having fun with.”
She also described the scale of the production to Variety:
“There’s all these extras and helicopters and chariots and horses. It’s huge.”
About The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Directed by Francis Lawrence, the prequel revisits Panem decades before Katniss Everdeen’s story. The movie follows young Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, navigating the deadly games and forming the experiences that would shape his future as mentor and strategist in the Hunger Games universe.
The film also features a star-studded ensemble, including:
- Jesse Plemons
- Ralph Fiennes as President Snow
- Kieran Culkin
- Elle Fanning
- McKenna Grace
- Maya Hawke
- Whitney Peak
- Kelvin Harrison Jr.
The story promises to explore Panem’s dark politics, the brutal spectacle of the Reaping, and the origins of the complex characters fans love.
Glenn Close’s Legacy of Transformative Roles
Close has long been known for fully immersing herself into transformative characters. In 2011’s Albert Knobs, she played a woman disguising herself as a male butler in 19th century Ireland. In 2024’s The Deliverance, she portrayed a chain-smoking grandmother with a strikingly bold persona.
“If I have any rule that I’ve tried to hold myself to, it’s never to repeat myself. Just for my own sake. I think I’d get bored,” Close told PEOPLE last year.
Currently, she can also be seen in Hulu’s All’s Fair and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, further showcasing her versatility across genres.
When to Watch
Fans will have to wait until November 20, 2026, to see Close in Sunrise on the Reaping. In the meantime, viewers can enjoy her other projects while anticipating her chilling performance as Drusilla Sickle in Panem.
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