Twenty-one-year-old Australian actor Joseph Zada has been cast as a young Haymitch Abernathy in Lionsgate’s upcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, setting up a high-stakes global press tour alongside co-star Mckenna Grace ahead of the film’s November 19 premiere.
The Bottom Line
- Lionsgate is staking a production budget of up to $US200 million on a relative unknown, handing the lead role of young Haymitch Abernathy to Sydney-born actor Joseph Zada.
- Zada and co-star Mckenna Grace kicked off their global promotional tour with a surprise fan appearance in Sydney’s South Eveleigh precinct ahead of the film’s November 19 release.
Unpacking the Casting Risk for a Strained Studio
Handing the keys to a multibillion-dollar franchise to an actor who has never appeared in a blockbuster film is a calculated gamble. Lionsgate is navigating a challenging financial landscape with US Securities and Exchange Commission filings from August putting the studio’s debts at approximately $US1.9 billion, nearly two-thirds of its market capitalization. With a production budget reaching up to $US200 million according to Deadline, Sunrise on the Reaping carries immense commercial weight following a volatile 2024 theatrical slate.
Joseph Zada at 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping' fan event in Sydney, Australia(Photo: Lionsgate)More details on the film here: https://t.co/JkFAI6Ozsk pic.twitter.com/CDgvEI648v
Producer Nina Jacobson noted that the search for an actor capable of embodying a 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy was exhaustive. Woody Harrelson famously portrayed the weathered, surly mentor in the original franchise films. The prequel explores the decades-earlier trauma that shaped Abernathy, set 24 years before the events of the original trilogy.
| Film / Franchise Entry | Estimated Production Budget | Global Box Office / Financial Context |
|---|---|---|
| Catching Fire (2013) | $US130 million | Highest-grossing film in the franchise at almost $US870 million internationally |
| The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) | $US100 million | Grossed almost $US364 million worldwide, bolstered by Asia Pacific re-releases in 2025 and 2026 |
| Sunrise on the Reaping | Up to $US200 million | Scheduled for a November 19 release |
From Sydney Obscurity to Global Franchise Lead
Zada’s path to the franchise departed sharply from traditional Hollywood pipelines. The young actor dropped out of Waverley College, a private, all-boys Catholic school in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, after being issued an ultimatum between acting and class. He had previously gathered a small but notable amount of critical acclaim in television projects such as Total Control, Invisible Boys, We Were Liars, and East of Eden, though several of those titles had not yet aired when his casting was confirmed in April 2025.
The actor’s background mirrors the defiant streak of his earlier television characters. Speaking about his role as Charlie Roth in Invisible Boys, Zada told this masthead in February 2025, I had a bit of a rough childhood, a lot of troubles and problems in my family, I got kicked out of both of my schools. I was sort of defiant. So I definitely relate to [Roth], the way he couldn’t fit in.
Activating TikTok and the Global Promotional Tour
Recognizing the demographic that sustains its massive digital footprint, Lionsgate is relying on social media to generate momentum. This digital strategy complements a physical press tour taking Zada and Mckenna Grace—who plays Maysilee Donner, Abernathy’s fellow District 12 tribute—across London, Madrid, Berlin, Mexico, Los Angeles, and New York City.
Whether this digital blitz and high-profile casting choice will translate into robust box office returns, or if Zada will mirror Jennifer Lawrence’s trajectory following the original films, remains to be seen as the industry watches the November 19 release approach.
