Fanning will portray a younger version of Effie Trinket, originally played by Elizabeth Banks in the blockbuster franchise
Elle Fanning has officially joined the cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, stepping into the iconic role of Effie Trinket. The upcoming film is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ latest bestseller and serves as a prequel to the original Hunger Games series.
Fanning will portray a younger version of Effie Trinket, originally played by Elizabeth Banks in the blockbuster franchise. In Sunrise on the Reaping, Effie enters the story as the stylist for District 12’s tribute Haymitch Abernathy, leading up to the brutal 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
Joining Fanning in the ensemble cast are Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy, Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird, Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Maya Hawke as Wiress, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee, Lili Taylor as Mags, Ben Wang as Wyatt, and Ralph Fiennes as a younger President Snow. Molly McCann and Iona Bell also join the cast as Louella and her Capitol-assigned lookalike, Lou Lou, respectively, Variety reports.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erin Westerman praised the casting decision, saying, “From the moment Suzanne released the book, one question echoed from fans around the world: Who will play Effie? Elizabeth Banks made her iconic, so who could honor that legacy while bringing us back to Effie’s early, most formative days? For us, there was only one answer.”
She added, “Elle Fanning’s career has been transcendent. She has a rare presence — warm, sparkling, and layered with extraordinary depth. She was the undeniable fan favorite from the start, and we’re honored she answered the call. The odds, it turns out, were in our favour.”
Fanning, whose recent work includes the Oscar-nominated A Complete Unknown, will next appear in Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, which premiered at Cannes. She also stars in the upcoming Apple TV+ series Margo’s Got Money Troubles and 20th Century Studios’ Predator: Badlands, set for a fall theatrical release.
Sunrise on the Reaping promises to explore the roots of the Capitol’s spectacle and the origins of characters fans have come to know — with Elle Fanning now bringing a fresh spark to one of its most memorable personas.
