Jesse Plemons is Plutarch Heavensbee in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’
Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage via Getty Images
Jesse Plemons volunteers as tribute.
The actor has been cast to play Plutarch Heavensbee in the upcoming film The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. It’s the movie adaptation of the prequel novel by Suzanne Collins, which was released on March 18.
The character Plutarch Heavensbee appeared in Catching Fire and the two Mockingjay films as the Head Gamemaker of The Hunger Games and also a leader of the rebellion. He was played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in those films, the latter which happened to be his final film role.
Plemons and Hoffman worked together on the 2012 film The Master, where Plemons played Hoffman’s son.
In this new novel, a young Plutarch Heavensbee captures the reaping of the tributes in District 12.
This new prequel film will begin filming in July. Francis Lawrence will direct the movie that revisits the world of Panem 24 years before the events of the original The Hunger Games story. Plemons joins the previously announced cast of Joseph Zada, Whitney Peak and Mckenna Grace.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will release in theaters on Nov. 20, 2026.
Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa in 2003; SGranitz/WireImage
ABC News has confirmed that Gene Hackman, 95, the prolific and versatile two-time Oscar-winning actor whose career spanned more than five decades, was found dead Wednesday in his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with his wife, classical pianist Betsy Arakawa, 63, who he married in 1991.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Denise Avila told ABC news that the couple was found during a welfare check after their neighbor called in, concerned about their well-being. Officials will be putting out a statement later this morning with more details.
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, the couple was found along with their dog, and there was no indication of foul play.
Before retiring from acting in 2004, Hackman starred in 79 films and played a variety of roles, including arch-villain Lex Luthor in Superman: The Movie, a basketball coach with a spotty past in Hoosiers, the commanding officer of a nuclear warship in Crimson Tide and a take-no-prisoners FBI agent in Mississippi Burning.
In 1971, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of tough cop Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection, and two decades later, in 1992, he won a second Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a sadistic sheriff in Unforgiven. Hackman also won three Golden Globes awards and two BAFTAs.
Hackman was born Jan. 30, 1930, in San Bernardino, California, but grew up in up in Danville, Illinois. When Hackman was 13, his father abandoned the family, leaving his son, who was playing in the street, with a simple wave of his hand.
“I hadn’t realized how much one small gesture can mean,” the actor once said. “Maybe that’s why I became an actor.”
Before pursuing acting, Hackman lied about his age at 16 to enlist in the Marine Corps. He left the military at 19 and ended up in California, where he took classes at the Pasadena Playhouse with fellow student Dustin Hoffman. Together they moved to New York and got an apartment with another struggling actor, Robert Duvall.
Hackman’s big break came in 1967 with Bonnie and Clyde, for which he earned his first Oscar nomination. That was followed by I Never Sang for My Father, which earned him his second nomination, The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure and The Conversation.
In the 1980s, he alternated between leading and supporting roles in films such as Reds, Hoosiers, No Way Out and Mississippi Burning. In the ’90s, after undergoing an angioplasty, he returned to the screen in Unforgiven, The Firm, Get Shorty and Crimson Tide.
After starring in The Royal Tenenbaums, Runaway Jury and his final film, 2004’s Welcome to Mooseport, Hackman turned full-time to writing novels, including a western, a police thriller and three historical fiction books.
Asked by GQ in 2011 how he’d like to be remembered, Hackman said, “As a decent actor. As someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion.”
In honor of Valentine’s Day, Netflix has released its first look at Bridgerton season 4. Along with a behind-the-scenes video featuring footage from the new season, the streamer also released several new images from the season.
Benedict Bridgerton takes over as the lead of season 4. He’s played by Luke Thompson, while his love interest, Sophie Baek, is played by Yerin Ha. According to its official logline, season 4 “turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict. Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down — until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver (Ha’s Sophie) at his mother’s masquerade ball.”
At the Bridgerton Season of Love virtual fan celebration, which took place Friday, showrunner Jess Brownell teased what is to come from the upcoming new season of the popular Regency-era series.
Brownell confirmed that season 4 will be the most faithful adaptation of one of Julia Quinn‘s Bridgerton novels. Specific plot points from Benedict’s book, An Offer From A Gentleman, that will be featured in the season include the masquerade ball, the iconic lake scene and the My Cottage moments at Benedict’s country home.
The behind-the-scenes video shows off footage from the masquerade ball, which takes up most of episode one, Brownell confirmed.
Additionally, Brownell said that fan-favorite couples Kate and Anthony and Colin and Penelope, played by Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey and Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan, respectively, will return in season 4 — this time as new parents.
Season 4 of Bridgerton is currently in production in London. It will consist of eight episodes. A premiere date for the new episodes has yet to be set.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place has been renewed for a second season.
Disney Branded Television announced Monday that the hit series, a continuation of the Emmy Award-winning show Wizards of Waverly Place, will get another season starring David Henrie, Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele, Max Matenko, Taylor Cora and Mimi Gianopulos. Production on the new season begins in April, according to Disney.
The show announced the news of season 2 with a TikTok video featuring the show’s stars.
Henrie, who also serves as an executive producer on the series alongside his former Wizards of Waverly Place co-star SelenaGomez, said he is “overwhelmed by all the love for the series.”
In a statement shared in a press release, he added that he is “ready to keep serving this new generation of Wizards fans with more Russo magic, while continuing to deliver a big warm hug to the original fan!”
“So many surprises in store for this second season,” he added. “It’s going to be big, so stay tuned!”
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place follows Henrie’s character, Justin Russo, who has magical abilities but “has chosen to lead a normal, mortal life with his family, Giada, Roman and Milo,” according to a synopsis.
“When Justin’s sister Alex (Gomez) brings Billie (Brown) to his home seeking help, Justin realizes he must dust off his magical skills to mentor the wizard-in-training while also juggling his everyday responsibilities — and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World,” the synopsis states.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premiered in October 2024. The first episode for the series received 3.2 million views globally in the first 12 days and was Disney Channel’s most-watched premiere on Disney+, according to a press release.
