Jennifer Lawrence Back as Katniss Everdeen for Hunger Games Prequel

Jennifer Lawrence is back in The Hunger Games.

Lawrence confirmed on a podcast that she is reprising her role as Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming film, In Sunrise on the Reaping. The movie arrives in theaters on Nov. 20. This announcement ends months of speculation about her involvement in the project.

During a conversation with Alex Cooper, host of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Lawrence described the experience of returning to the set. She called it "unbelievable" and noted the familiarity of the environment. "It was the same crew. It was the same camera guys, the same AD, who I've worked with a million times," she said. The presence of long-time collaborators made the production feel like a continuation of previous films.

Lawrence also verified that Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson have returned to the franchise. She described the reunion as "so emotional." She and Hutcherson, she said, rarely moved without their arms around one another. "It was so beautiful," Lawrence added. Harrelson, true to form, made an entrance that surprised her. He entered her hotel room through the window without being invited. Lawrence joked that it would not have been the same if he had respected boundaries and used the door.

The actress also revisited a famous moment from the original series. In 2013, she gave herself a pixie cut as a protest after producers initially refused to provide a wig for the Mockingjay films. She had grown tired of dyeing her hair brown for the role. She described the resulting haircut as "the worst haircut anyone has ever seen in their life," though it became an iconic look for the character.

In Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel set 24 years before the events of the first movie. It follows 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, as he competes in the 50th Hunger Games. This specific contest, known as the Second Quarter Quell, requires twice the usual number of tributes to fight to the death. Ralph Fiennes appears in the film as President Snow.

The original cast members are expected to appear in flashforwards or a framing device. Lawrence, Hutcherson, and Harrelson will likely appear in these brief sequences rather than in the main timeline of the story.