Glenn Close looks almost completely unrecognizable in the newly released teaser trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, sparking immediate buzz across social media and among fans of the franchise.

The 78-year-old Academy Award nominee appears in the trailer — unveiled Thursday — wearing heavy facial prosthetics, aged makeup, and a set of exaggerated fake teeth that radically transform her on-screen appearance. Close plays Drusilla Sickle, the eccentric and imposing tribute escort for District 12.

“Welcome, Panem, to the glorious reaping of District 12,” Close declares in the teaser, maintaining a chilling calm as she announces that the district will be required to send twice the number of tributes to the Hunger Games. Her character then repeats the sinister mantra: “Twice the tributes. Twice the glory.”

The trailer transitions to shots of the young competitors navigating a lush, dangerous arena filled with dense forests, wildlife, and vibrant plant life — a stark contrast to the industrial ruins featured in previous films. “Next year, a new era of the Games begins,” the screen reads, signaling the darker tone and expanded mythology that awaits audiences.

Close’s striking transformation arrives shortly after her recent and widely discussed role in Hulu’s All’s Fair, which received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics (source: Variety). Despite that series’ reception, her presence in the Hunger Games prequel has already been praised for its boldness and immersive character design.

The new film is adapted from Suzanne Collins’ upcoming 2025 novel of the same name, part of her continued expansion of the Hunger Games universe. According to Collins’ official description, the book “revisits the world of Panem twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, beginning on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell” (source: Suzanne Collins Official Site).

“As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem,” the book summary adds. This installment focuses heavily on the earlier years of Haymitch Abernathy — the only other District 12 victor before Katniss Everdeen — exploring his life before trauma shaped him into the hardened mentor fans know from the original trilogy.

The film follows Haymitch, played by Joseph Zada, as he tries to navigate the brutal rules of the Second Quarter Quell. “This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes,” the synopsis states. Haymitch, still only a teenager, is focused simply on survival — and on staying close to the girl he loves, Maysilee Donner, portrayed by McKenna Grace. Their storyline is expected to delve into emotional territory only hinted at in the earlier films (sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly).

The star-studded cast includes Whitney Peak, Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Jesse Plemons, Kieran Culkin, Maya Hawke, and Billy Porter — a lineup that many film journalists have praised for its dramatic potential (source: Deadline).

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be released in theaters on November 20, 2026, marking the franchise’s highly anticipated return to the big screen after the 2023 prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.