After The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping had me weeping, I’m both excited and stressed about reliving the story now that it’s among the upcoming book-to-screen adaptations. Since the movie started production in Europe earlier this summer, it’s been sweet to see the District 12 tributes bonding on set, but following the experience with them isn’t all fun and games, given the topic of the movie itself.
McKenna Grace, who is part of the The Sunrise on the Reaping cast as Maysilee Donner, shared a cute TikTok of herself alongside the new Haymitch actor Joseph Zada and the actress behind Lou Lou, Iona Bell, getting into one of the app’s dance trends for The Cranberries’s “Sunday.” Check it out:
These three are adorable! They donned matching bear shirts while taking the lyrics about spinnin’ around, “feet are off the ground,” and such literally. The trio looks like they are having some sleepover together in between shooting Sunrise on the Reaping, but as Grace brought up in the caption, they are short one District 12 tribute: Ben Wang, who will play Wyatt Callow.
Grace captioned the video with hashtags including “#BenWangComeHomeWeMissYou” amidst the actor behind the character of Wyatt apparently no longer being on set. Even if you haven’t read the book, we all go into the new Hunger Games book knowing that Haymitch will be the only tribute left standing at the end of the 50th Hunger Games. So, now I’m actually sad after watching the funny TikTok. Especially after they previously had these memories together:
I, of course, have to wonder if they’ve already shot the death scene for Ben Wang’s character, and so do fans in the comment section. What’s perhaps even more harrowing is how Lionsgate responded to Grace’s video. The movie company wrote: “If you miss Ben Want, we got a movie for you,” referring to the actor’s role in the 2025 movie schedule's The Long Walk. Here’s how McKenna Grace responded:
Please stop putting our boy in death games #justiceforben let the boy be joyful
If you haven’t heard, Ben Wang is also part of the cast of The Long Walk, which is a Stephen King adaptation helmed by the same director of Sunrise on the Reaping, Francis Lawrence. It hits theaters on September 12, and it is about another competition involving teenagers who are forced to walk continuously until there is one left.
The Ghostbusters: Afterlife actress has got a point! Ben Wang absolutely deserves to be in a comedy or something next after being in these two dystopian sci-fi “death games”.
The Long Walk actually just had its first reactions come out this week, and it was called “a towering achievement reminiscent of The Outsiders & Full Metal Jacket” and a “perfect adaptation” of King’s novel. So, you can see Ben Wang in The Long Walk in theaters on September 12. Meanwhile, The Sunrise on the Reaping is among the 2026 movie release dates, and it will hit theaters on November 20; until then, his fellow cast members are missing him.
