The Hunger Games: Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will return

Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will reportedly return to the Hunger Games in next year’s highly anticipated prequel.

The pair last starred in Mockingjay – Part 2, the climactic installment of the original film series.

American magazines The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline reported that Jennifer, 35, will return as Katniss Everdeen, while Josh, 33, will reprise his role as Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games: Dawn of the Harvest.

They suggest that the actors will appear in a flash-forward sequence that appears in the novel on which the new film is based.

BBC Newsbeat has approached production company Lionsgate for comment.

Lawrence, who became a household name playing Katniss, previously said she would “absolutely” be willing to return as the character.

And last month, Josh Hutcherson told US magazine Variety that he would “be there in a heartbeat” if he was asked to return.

“It wouldn’t take any kind of convincing,” he said.

Hunger Games fans were delighted with the news that the beloved characters would be making a new appearance.

One wrote: “For non-Hunger Games fans, this is like Rihanna returning to music.”

Another added: “It’s basically Jesus coming back to Earth.”

But there were some who were not happy to see the information revealed, saying it could have been an “emotional” surprise.

The Hunger Games: Harvest Dawn also stars McKenna Grace, Maya Hawke and Ralph Fiennes and will hit theaters in November 2026.

Author Suzanne Collins’ eponymous book sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide during its release week earlier this year, the biggest debut of one of her books.

The Hunger Games series has reportedly grossed $3.3 billion since the release of the first film in 2012, and a film version was recently released.

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