Sunrise On The Reaping’s Ralph Fiennes Addresses Taking Over For Donald Sutherland As Snow
There are plenty of book to screen adaptations being worked on at any point, but few are quite as popular as the Hunger Games movies. Following the success of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, another of Suzanne Collins’ prequels is getting the movie treatment: Sunrise on the Reaping. Ralph Fiennes is taking on the role of President Snow, and recently reflected on taking the mantle from late actor Donald Sutherland.
What we know about Sunrise on the Reaping is limited, but the cast chock full of familiar faces playing younger version of beloved legacy characters. That includes Fiennes becoming the third actor to portray Coriolanus Snow. When speaking with THR about 28 Years Later, the Harry Potter actor got real about taking on the mantle from Sutherland. In his words:
Look, I’m a Donald Sutherland fan. I’m not going to try and be Donald Sutherland, because no one can be him. But I think the character he created is very complex… The complexity of that psychology, I hope I can echo in some way.
There you have it. It sounds like the 62 year-old actor isn’t trying to do an impression of Donald Sutherland when he portrays Snow in Sunrise on the Reaping. Although he is going to try to make it as complex and fascinating a characterization as his predecessor. For his part, he’s got experience as a famous literary villain thanks to the Harry Potter movies.
All of the actors who are playing younger versions of beloved Hunger Games figures in Sunrise on the Reaping will likely have to tow this line. For instance, Elle Fanning is portraying Elizabeth Banks’ signature character Effie Trinket. Jesse Plemons is taking on the role of Plutarch from the late actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman… which is pretty brilliant casting if you ask me. We’ll even get a younger version of Hunger Games victors Beetee, Wiress, and Mags.
As previously mentioned, Fiennes is actually the third actor to play Snow on the big screen. Because prior to his casting for Sunrise on the Reaping, we were introduced to a young version of the character on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In that first prequel he was played by Tom Blyth, and we watched as he went from an innocent student to the architect behind the games as we know them. And the forthcoming sci-fi blockbuster will offer another snapshot as the villainous leader of Panem, once again as the cruel and murderous leader we know him to be.
All will be revealed when The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters on November 20th, 2026. But since it’s not part of the 2025 movie release list, we might have to be patient before news about the forthcoming project. Luckily we can re-read the book as we wait.
