MCKENNA GRACE JOINS "THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING"

Lionsgate Films announced that Mckenna Grace is set join the cast of "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" as Maysilee Donner, Haymitch Abernathy's fellow District 12 Tribute.

Joseph Zada("Invisible Boys") will play Haymitch, with Whitney Peak (TV's "Gossip Girl") playing Haymitch's girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird.

The film adaptation of "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" will be released on November 20, 2026.

Francis Lawrence will direct from a screenplay adaptation by Billy Ray, based on the bestselling novel by Suzanne Collins. Color Force's Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson will produce. Cameron MacConomy will executive produce. The five films in the franchise have taken in over $3.3 billion at the box office.

"Sunrise on the Reaping" sold 1.5 million copies in its first week on sale in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The 1.2 million copies sold in the U.S. are twice the first week sales of "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" and three times the first week sales of "Mockingjay."

Published on March 18, "Sunrise on the Reaping" revisits the world of Panem twenty-four years before the events of "The Hunger Games," starting on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.

Meredith Wieck and Scott O'Brien are overseeing the project for Lionsgate.

Grace, in addition to her many other credits, starred in the movies" Ghostbusters: Afterlife" and "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire." She is currently starring in the adaptation of the best-selling Colleen Hoover novel "Regretting You for Paramount." Upcoming, she will also appear in the lead role of Blumhouse's "Kiss of Death" as well as in Blumhouse's highly anticipated sequel to "Five Nights at Freddy's, "Scream 7" with Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox, and she also she stars alongside an all-star cast led by Diane Lane in Lionsgate's Anniversary.

Grace is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox.

IN OTHER MOVIE NEWS:

FOCUS FEATURES SETS WIDE US RELEASE ON CHRISTMAS FOR "SONG SUNG BLUE" STARRING HUGH JACKMAN AND KATE HUDSON

Focus Features will release "Song Sung Blue" on Dec. 25. The film, written and directed by Academy Award winner Craig Brewer, ("Hustle & Flow") stars Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson and tells the inspiring true story of two down-on-their-luck performers who form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it's never too late to find love and follow your dreams.

Brewer, produced the film alongside Davis Entertainment’s John Davis and John Fox. Rounding out the star-studded cast are Michael Imperioli, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Mustafa Shakir, and Hudson Hilbert Hensley.

Focus developed and holds worldwide rights to the film, which is based on Greg Kohs' 2008 documentary of the same name. Universal Pictures International is handling international distribution.

DIEGO LUNA TO HOST ACADEMY'S SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL AWARDS

Actor, director and producer Diego Luna will host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Scientific and Technical Awards presentation on April 29 at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. During the evening he will present 14 achievements, which were previously announced in January.

Achievements receiving Scientific and Technical Awards must demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures. In addition, an Academy Award of Merit (an Oscar statuette) will be presented at the ceremony to collectively recognize "all the individuals who have developed and supported captioning technology, whether open or closed, for film."

Luna currently stars in and executive produces the Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning series "Andor," reprising his role as Cassian Andor from "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." Recently, he appeared in the limited series "La Máquina," earning a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. His filmography includes such notable works as "Y Tu Mama Tambien," "Frida"and the upcoming film "Kiss of the Spider Woman." He has also directed several films, including "Cesar Chavez" and "Mr. Pig." Luna co-founded the production company La Corriente del Golfo, which focuses on developing Mexican stories and talent.

For more information about the Scientific and Technical Awards, please visit www.oscars.org/sci-tech.

ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES TO PRESENT "JAWS: THE EXHIBITION"

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will present "Jaws: The Exhibition," on view September 14, 2025–July 26, 2026. The exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's film, a culture-defining thriller that continues to be a fixture in popular culture.

This is the first-ever exhibition of this scale at the Academy Museum focused exclusively on a single film, and the largest mounted exhibition ever for "Jaws" (1975), the Oscar-winning film from Universal Pictures.

The exhibition will feature over 200 original objects--including concept illustrations by production designer Joe Alves, a costume worn by Roy Scheider as Brody, original shark design schematics by design engineer Frank Wurmser, and a screen used prop dorsal fin—plus behind-the-scenes revelations and interactive moments.

"Jaws: The Exhibition" will illustrate how the film became the first summer blockbuster that forever changed the motion picture industry. Tickets for Jaws: The Exhibition are available to purchase now.

Curated with direct access to the collections from Steven Spielberg and The Amblin Hearth Archive, NBCUniversal Archives & Collections, and more, Jaws: The Exhibition has visitors step into the world of the iconic film, scene-by-scene, as it translates the movie into a spatial experience for all-ages audiences.

"As an institution both devoted to and deeply enshrined within the film industry, the Academy Museum can combine deep, rigorous, and fulfilling research with exciting moments of interactivity and discovery for our audiences, allowing them to experience this beloved film and enduring story in a brand-new way," said Academy Museum Director and President Amy Homma.

"After 50 years, many of the accounts about the production of Jaws are as well-known as the film itself. This exhibition uncovers the film’s multilayered mythologies and lore for both new and seasoned fans," said Senior Exhibitions Curator Jenny He. "It's fascinating to think that Jaws was Steven Spielberg's second theatrical feature film--the movie is a testament to the storied filmmaker's early success as a tenacious visionary pushing creative boundaries."

The Academy Museum has been home to the sole surviving full-scale model of the shark from Jaws since the museum's opening in 2021. At 25-feet-long, "Bruce the Shark" is the largest object in the Academy's collection and currently hangs outside of the museum's 4th floor exhibition space where it will remain on-view during the exhibition.

"Jaws: The Exhibition" is organized by Senior Exhibitions Curator Jenny He and Assistant Curator Emily Rauber Rodriguez, with Curatorial Assistant Alexandra James Salichs. It will be the museum's fifth large-scale exhibition in its Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery, following Hayao Miyazaki (2021–22), Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 (2022–23), John Waters: Pope of Trash (2023–24), and Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema (which closes July 13, 2025).

The exhibition will be accompanied by a dynamic series of film screenings, exclusive new merchandise, and public programs to be announced at a later date.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURES:

The Academy Museum is the largest museum in the world devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. The museum advances the understanding, celebration, and preservation of cinema through inclusive and accessible exhibitions, screenings, programs, initiatives, and collections. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano, the museum's campus contains the restored and revitalized historic Saban Building--formerly known as the May Company building (1939)--and a soaring spherical addition. Together, these buildings contain 50,000 square feet of exhibition spaces, two state-of-the-art theaters, the Shirley Temple Education Studio, and beautiful public spaces that are free and open to the public. These include: The Walt Disney Company Piazza and the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby, which houses the Spielberg Family Gallery, Academy Museum Store, and Fanny's restaurant and cafe. The Academy Museum is open six days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

ABOUT JAWS:

Directed by Oscar-winner Steven Spielberg, "Jaws" set the standard for edge-of-your-seat suspense, quickly becoming a cultural phenomenon and forever changing the movie industry 50 years ago on June 20, 1975. When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town's chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss), and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.

Featuring an unforgettable, pulse-racing score, five decades later, Jaws remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history.

"Jaws: The Exhibition" is supported by the Givenchy Family, Emma Koss, Yeardley Smith, and Richard Talley.

IMAGE CREDITS: (L-R) Director Steven Spielberg, kneeling with camera, during production of Jaws (1975). Others unidentified. Courtesy of Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Director Steven Spielberg during production of Jaws (1975). Courtesy of Universal Studios Licensing LLC; Jaws (1975) production clapperboard. Courtesy of The Amblin Hearth Archive; Cast and crew during production of Jaws (1975). Courtesy of Universal Studios Licensing LLC; Concept illustration by production designer Joe Alves. Courtesy of Universal Studios Licensing LLC.