Rachel Zegler offers some disappointing news for fans expecting to see her return to The Hunger Games franchise for the upcoming film, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Zegler played the role of Lucy Gray Baird in the first prequel film, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Lucy Gray Baird’s fate at the end of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is left ambiguous as she flees into the woods to escape Coriolanus Snow. With more Hunger Games prequels in development, many fans are hoping to discover more about Lucy Gray Baird’s life before the events of the main series.
Yet, fans shouldn’t hold out hope to learn more about Lucy Gray Baird in the upcoming film Sunrise on the Reaping, at least not with Zegler attached. Speaking with Cosmopolitan, Zegler was asked if she believed her character would appear in the upcoming Hunger Games film. While the actress is open to returning, she is not involved with the movie. Zegler said, “I would die at the chance to come back as Lucy Gray Baird, but I am not included.”
Zegler’s schedule is certainly busy. Her next project is the animated film Spellbound, which will debut on Netflix on November 22, 2024, just ahead of Thanksgiving. She will then appear in Snow White, the remake of Walt Disney Animation’s first feature film. Snow White was initially set for release in 2024 but was delayed following the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strike and will now open in theaters on March 21, 2025. She recently made her debut on Broadway in Romeo and Juliet on October 26, 2024, which, due to popular demand, extended its run an additional four weeks and will now close on February 16, 2025.
The Future of Lucy Gray Baird and The Hunger Games
Zegler’s lack of involvement in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is unsurprising. Given that the story takes place 40 years after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Zegler would be far too young to play a nearly 60-year-old woman. While Zegler could have played the role under a lot of makeup, her character likely doesn’t have a place in Sunrise on the Reaping, as the story is set to focus on a young Haymitch Abernathy. While she might not be attached now, there is always a possibility that Zegler could film a cameo for the film in the two years until Sunrise on the Reaping arrives at its November 2026 release date.
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The Hunger Games was one of Lionsgate’s biggest film franchises in the 2010s, so it certainly made sense for the studio to want to revive it. Prequels like The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping have allowed them to revisit the universe by expanding the lore and backstories of previously established characters. While Lucy Gray Baird might not appear in Sunrise on the Reaping, there is likely a chance a future prequel or spin-off film in The Hunger Games series could explore more of her life between the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the first Hunger Games. With any luck, Zegler will reprise her role at some point.
- Release Date
- November 17, 2023
- Runtime
- 157 Minutes