Elle Fanning said Hunger Games fans are the reason she was cast as Effie Trinket in the upcoming prequel film.
During a recent interview with MTV, the actress chatted about her casting in Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and taking the role over from Elizabeth Banks, who portrayed an older version of Effie in the franchise’s first four films.
“It was funny because I think fans made this happen in a way,” Fanning said. “The studio [Lionsgate] said they were getting kind of hounded online, like, ‘Elle needs to play Effie.’”
The A Complete Unknown star added that she’s especially excited to play Effie because she’s been “a huge fan” for some time.
“Effie has always been my favorite character,” she explained. “I think Elizabeth Banks brought so much — just even beyond those books — layers to that character. I love her, and I have got to talk to Elizabeth. We’ve texted, and she sent me flowers and said, ‘May the odds be in your favor,’ so very special.”
Though Fanning confirmed they “haven’t started filming” Sunrise on the Reaping just yet, she noted that they’re already thinking about her version of the character and will “hopefully make the fans happy.”
In the prequel film, Effie serves as the stylist for Haymitch Abernathy (who will be played by Joseph Zada) in the preparation for the 50th Hunger Games. Other castmembers include Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Glenn Close, Billy Porter, Iris Apatow, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke and Lili Taylor, among others.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erin Westerman previously said there was “only one answer” regarding who could play the iconic Effie in Sunrise on the Reaping, and that was Fanning.
“From the moment Suzanne released the book, one question echoed from fans around the world: Who will play Effie?” Westerman said. “Elizabeth Banks made her iconic — so who could honor that legacy while bringing us back to Effie’s early, most formative days? For us, there was only one answer. Elle Fanning’s career has been transcendent. She has a rare presence — warm, sparkling and layered with extraordinary depth. She was the undeniable fan favorite from the start, and we’re honored she answered the call. The odds, it turns out, were in our favor.”
Sunrise on the Reaping is set to hit theaters on Nov. 20, 2026.