Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping First Reactions Reveal AI’s Offscreen Role
AI Used During Post-Production
Speaking with IndieWire editor-in-chief Brent Lang at the Future of Filmmaking Summit in Los Angeles, Nina Jacobson described a limited use of AI on Sunrise on the Reaping. The producer said the technology helped the team experiment with possible line readings before recording dialogue with actors.
Jacobson said AI-generated actor approximations were not intended to replace performers or appear in the finished film. She described the tool as useful for testing ideas that might ultimately be discarded, ahead of traditional automated dialogue replacement, or ADR.
The production would still turn to its actors for recorded performances and its writer for dialogue, Jacobson said. She also said she did not ask Claude to write lines or complete the movie.
A Story About Resistance
Jacobson said Sunrise on the Reaping focuses on resistance and what it can cost. She argued that the present situation does not determine what the future must look like.
She connected that theme to young people facing concerns about climate change and democracy. Jacobson said resistance may not produce visible results quickly, but its effects can accumulate over time.
The producer said the films are made only when Suzanne Collins writes a book. She said the stories speak to life today, rather than being made simply to extend the franchise.
The Film’s Franchise Context
Sunrise on the Reaping is the sixth film adaptation of Collins’ young adult book series and is due in theaters November 20 from Lionsgate. The film follows the 2023 prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which explored Panem’s political history and President Snow’s rise.
The Hunger Games film series began in 2012, followed by three more entries in the years after its launch. Lionsgate later brought the property back with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Jacobson also discussed other Color Force projects, including a Dirty Dancing sequel starring Jennifer Grey and an HBO series based on Crazy Rich Asians. The summit featured directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller and a conversation with Bill Hader about his upcoming feature debut, They Know.
Key points
- AI helped test alternate readings for Sunrise on the Reaping, but its generated performances will not be onscreen.
- The cast is expected to record selected dialogue through the traditional ADR process.
- Jacobson said the prequel explores resistance, its costs and the prospect of change.
- Lionsgate is scheduled to release the film in theaters November 20.