Elizabeth Banks says Elle Fanning will ‘nail’ Effie Trinket in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’

Elizabeth Banks is confident that Elle Fanning will bring Effie Trinket to life in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, revealing that she knew the actress would excel in the role.

Banks, who portrayed Effie in the original Hunger Games film series, shared her thoughts on Fanning’s casting in an interview with PEOPLE. The actress and filmmaker expressed confidence in Fanning’s ability to take on the younger version of the colourful Capitol escort, a character Banks made popular on screen.

Fanning will portray a younger Effie in the upcoming prequel, which takes place decades before the events of the original The Hunger Games films. The story follows the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, and centres on a young Haymitch Abernathy long before he becomes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s mentor.

The casting gives Fanning the opportunity to put her own stamp on Effie, whose distinctive fashion, elaborate wigs and memorable mannerisms made her one of the franchise’s recognisable characters. While Banks played Effie as an eccentric Capitol figure who gradually revealed a more compassionate side, the prequel will explore an earlier chapter in the character’s life.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is based on Suzanne Collins’ novel of the same name and is directed by Francis Lawrence, who has helmed several films in the franchise. The cast also includes Joseph Zada as young Haymitch Abernathy, Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird, Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee and Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman.

The film is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on November 20, 2026, bringing audiences back to Panem for another chapter in the dystopian saga.

With Banks backing Fanning’s casting, the prequel will introduce a fresh interpretation of Effie Trinket while connecting the new story to the character audiences came to know in the original films.