Apple Original Films has revealed the first image from the upcoming Martin Scorsese thriller What Happens at Night, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. The studio has announced that the film is now in production.
Deadline first reported last year that this would be the next collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio, with Lawrence joining the two. Hailing from Apple Studios and made in partnership with Studiocanal, the dream-like story follows a married American couple who travel to a small, snowy European town to adopt a baby. Patricia Clarkson, Jared Harris and Mads Mikkelsen are also on board.
‘What Happens At Night’ Apple Original Films
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Peter Cameron, the script is written by Patrick Marber. Scorsese is directing and producing for Sikelia Productions. Lawrence will produce through Excellent Cadaver with Cadaver’s Justine Ciarrocchi exec producing.
What Happens at Night marks the latest collaboration for Scorsese, DiCaprio and Apple Original Films following the 10-time Oscar-nominated Killers of the Flower Moon. Lawrence has collaborated with Apple Original Films on projects including Causeway and Bread & Roses, along with the upcoming murder mystery The Wives in which she is set to star and produce.
Jennifer Lawrence And Josh Hutcherson Are Returning To The Hunger Games Universe
The rumors are true, and months of denials have officially aged like milk. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are reportedly returning to the world of Panem, reprising their iconic roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in Lionsgate’s highly anticipated prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
At first, the idea seemed impossible. The new film takes place decades before Katniss ever volunteered for the Hunger Games, making the return of Lawrence and Hutcherson appear unlikely. However, the filmmakers have reportedly found a clever way to bring the beloved characters back without disrupting the timeline of the original trilogy.
The key is a framing device reportedly taken from Suzanne Collins’ latest novel. The story is expected to feature an older Katniss and Peeta spending time with Haymitch Abernathy as he tells them about the horrifying experience he endured during his own Hunger Games. This approach gives fans an opportunity to see the original characters again while allowing the prequel to remain focused on Haymitch’s story.
The revelation is especially amusing considering Josh Hutcherson’s recent comments about the project. For months, the actor insisted that he knew nothing about the upcoming film and emphasized how much he still loved the franchise. In Hollywood, however, such denials can often mean that a carefully worded confidentiality agreement is keeping the truth under wraps. Fans now have plenty of reason to laugh at those earlier statements.
Sunrise on the Reaping centers on the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell. This particular Games was designed to be especially brutal, with twice the usual number of tributes being sent into the arena. The story follows a young Haymitch as he struggles to survive one of the most devastating and psychologically intense Games in Panem’s history.
Bringing Katniss and Peeta into the story through a framing sequence could create an emotional connection between Haymitch’s past and the characters fans have followed since the beginning of the franchise. It also gives Lawrence and Hutcherson a chance to return without changing the events established in the original films.
Fans have already taken to social media to celebrate the reported reunion, with many joking about how successfully the actors managed to keep the secret. The combination of familiar stars, Suzanne Collins’ source material, and director Francis Lawrence returning has created enormous anticipation.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 20, 2026. Whether Katniss and Peeta appear only briefly or play a more meaningful role remains unclear, but their return could make this new chapter one of the franchise’s biggest cinematic events yet.
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