Conclave star Ralph Fiennes cast as President Snow in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’

Acclaimed British actor Ralph Fiennes is set to portray one of Panem’s most feared figures in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping. Lionsgate announced the casting on 17 May, marking the biggest addition to the film’s ensemble so far.

Ralph Fiennes is now a part of The Hunger Games franchise

Ralph Fiennes, recently seen in the Oscar and BAFTA-winning film Conclave, will step into the role of President Coriolanus Snow – the calculating leader of Panem.

Fans of the franchise will remember Snow as played by Donald Sutherland in the original quartet of films, and by Tom Blyth in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023), which explored his younger years. Fiennes’ portrayal will depict Snow at a middle point in his life, set 40 years after Songbirds and 24 years before Katniss Everdeen steps into the arena.

Production on the film adaptation officially began on June 6, 2024, with a release date locked in for November 20, 2026. With Fiennes bringing gravitas and menace to President Snow, anticipation is soaring among fans eager to return to the world of Panem.

About The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is based on Suzanne Collins’ latest novel, released on March 18, 2025. The story revisits the 50th Hunger Games — famously won by Haymitch Abernathy — and dives into darker themes of political control, propaganda, and rebellion in a tightly controlled dystopia.

Ralph Fiennes work front

Ralph was most recently seen in political thriller Conclave, alongside Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini. Upon its release, the film was named one of the top ten films of 2024 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.

Among other accolades, it won four awards at the 78th British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film, and also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. At the 97th Academy Awards, it received eight nominations, including Best Picture, and won Best Adapted Screenplay.

Ralph will next be seen in 28 Years Later, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, and The Choral.