Everything We Know About Haymitch's Love Interest in 'The Hunger Games'

The highly anticipated prequel to The Hunger Games, Sunrise on the Reaping, finally has a release date of Nov. 20, 2026. The story follows a young Haymitch Abernathy (played by Joseph Zada) and his time in the Games. Now that the trailer has finally dropped, fans are curious about Haymitch's love interest, Lenore Dove Baird (portrayed by Whitney Peak).

As with any good origin story, much of Haymitch's character development seems to stem from love, specifically, his past relationship with Lenore and her fate in Sunrise on the Reaping. Of course, the entire Hunger Games series is based on a book series, so we don't need to wait for the film's release to learn what happens. Assuming the movie stays true to the source material, here's everything we know about the couple and how their romance shapes the larger story.

Haymitch and Lenore were already a couple when he was chosen to compete in the Hunger Games. Although Haymitch won, the Capitol was angered by his method, as he used a flaw in the game's design to win rather than using their preferred method of brutal murder.

As a form of retaliation and a way of showing Haymitch who is really in charge, the Capitol tricked the victor into leading Lenore to her death. Unbeknownst to Haymitch, Snow had poisoned a bag of gumdrops, which Haymitch then gave to Lenore. She tragically died in his arms, with her last words being, "Don't let the sun rise on the reaping." Although it's not the most thrilling way to go, Lenore's dying words ignited Haymitch's will to fight and motivated his character's journey.

Lenore's passing had a lasting impact on Haymitch, which even carried into the original Hunger Games movies. Losing the love of his life, and being forced to serve the system that killed her — talk about adding insult to injury! — turned Haymitch into a recluse who was scared to form meaningful relationships.

While it's possible that the movie will stray from the books, all signs from the film's trailer seem to point to Lenore's fate meeting the same end. While the details of her passing may be altered, her character's death is the driving force behind the man Haymitch becomes, so it's unlikely that she'll be able to escape her fate. In fact, we suspect that the cause of death may change, as the trailer shows Haymitch being forced away from Lenore, leaving her alone in a seemingly abandoned area.

Joseph's commentary on how he feels playing Haymitch serves as another indicator that the Sunrise on the Reaping movie will mirror the book. Per Deadline, the actor has said, "I’ve seen scripts. I can’t say anything. I’ve read the book twice already."

We doubt Joseph would spend so much time studying the books if the film script were to be significantly different and lead his character in another direction. Still, we'll all have to wait until November to have our suspicions confirmed.