In the lead-up to the latest Hunger Games prequel film, Sunrise on the Reaping, we’ve been given tidbits of information, like why the film looks so colorful despite its soul-crushingly bleak story. But now we have the answer to arguably the biggest elephant in the room in the movie and the original film quadrilogy, straight from author Suzanne Collin’s mouth: why didn’t Haymitch tell anyone about his rebellion?
Set 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, Sunrise on the Reaping follows sixteen-year-old Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) as he participates in the 50th annual Hunger Games, which are also the Second Quarter Quell. Fans know the Quarter Quells, which are special versions of the Hunger Games that take place every 25 years, as some of the bloodiest and most consequential dominoes in the series. In a special letter to Hunger Games fans filled with glowing words of appreciation for director Francis Lawrence, plus the film’s producers, screenwriters, and cast, Collins revealed why Haymitch stayed hush-hush about his past in the original book trilogy. The answer is pretty understandable: the dude was haunted by the fallout of his attempted rebellion.
“The seeds of Haymitch Abernathy’s backstory were planted over twenty years ago when I began the original trilogy,” Collins wrote.
