Ben Wang will portray District 12 tribute Wyatt Callow in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,’ the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' bestselling novel.
Who is Ben Wang?
Born on January 1, 2000, in in Shanghai, China, Ben Wang immigrated to the United States at age six after his parents' divorce. He grew up in Northfield, Minnesota, and studied musical theater at New York University.
Wang is best known for his breakout role as Jin Wang in the Disney+ series ‘American Born Chinese.’ He also appeared as Bo in ‘Chang Can Dunk' and Jacob Zheng in ‘Mean Girls.’ His other credits include appearances in 'MacGyver', ‘Search Party’, and 'Sex Appeal.'
Wang will next appear in the lead role in Sony Pictures' ‘Karate Kid: Legends’, starring alongside franchise icons Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan. The film is scheduled for global release on May 30.
‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping'
Ben Wang joins a star-studded ensemble that includes -
{{/usCountry}}Ben Wang joins a star-studded ensemble that includes -
{{/usCountry}}Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy
Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird
Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner
Maya Hawke as Wiress
Lili Taylor as Mags
Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier
Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee
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The film will be directed by Hunger Games veteran Francis Lawrence and is set to hit theaters on November 20, 2026.
In a December 2024 interview with ComicBook, Lawrence discussed the challenge of casting a young Haymitch Abernathy.
“It’s a search and you have to dig down and figure out what are the elements that make Woody Harrelson so interesting, right? And some of it is humor. Some of it is intelligence. Some of it is quirk. Some of it is, there’s a darkness in him that gives him an edge," he said.
"We’re going to have to find somebody that has all of that. It’s not somebody that just looks like him, or is going to study Woody Harrelson and just act like him," he continued. “When Tom Blythe played Donald Sutherland, he wasn’t doing an impersonation. We had to find somebody that was believable that you could be like, ‘Oh, okay, I see how this guy over 70 years could turn into [President Snow].'”