Elle Fanning was told not to "copy" Elizabeth Banks in new Hunger Games movie

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping director Francis Lawrence has weighed in on casting younger versions of Suzanne Collins's iconic characters, saying that he advised the new cast, including Elle Fanning, not to "copy" their predecessors.

Releasing in November, Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 24 years before the first film, following a then-teenage Haymitch Abernathy as he's selected to compete in the 50th Hunger Games. Now played by Joseph Zada, the character was originally portrayed by Woody Harrelson.

Fanning plays Capitol's ebullient stylist Effie Trinket, who was originated by Elizabeth Banks in the OG Hunger Games films. Speaking with Digital Spy and other press at a preview event, Lawrence – who also helmed all the other Hunger Games movies – called Fanning "a breath of fresh air" and said he had one simple guideline for her and the other cast members with big shoes to fill.

Related: Why new Hunger Games movie Sunrise on the Reaping is a "return to form" of Catching Fire

"When it came time to coming up with the casting ideas for people that are going to portray younger versions of fan favourites in the movies, I think it was really about finding people that are talented, that we love and admire, but that also sort of already inhabit the spirit of the character," the filmmaker said.

"If you've ever met Elle, she's like a breath of fresh air," he continued. "I just knew that she would bring this bright energy into it and that she could kill it."

He added: "In combination with that is that once they came in and became involved, the guidelines were also really to find the spirit but not copy."

Lawrence said he didn't intend for any of the new cast members "to copy anybody's performance".

Related: Glenn Close's incredible Hunger Games transformation had a surprising inspiration

"Ralph [Fiennes] was never going to try and do Donald Sutherland, Elle was never going to try and do Liz Banks, Jesse [Plemons] was never going to do Phil Hoffman," he explained.

"They were all going to do their versions of these characters. There may be some elements that you pull, but really they were allowed to bring their own energies and talents to these characters."

Producer Nina Jacobson added: "From the beginning really, those were the conversations that the last thing we want you to do is to impersonate."

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is released in cinemas on 20 November.

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Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy. 

Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half). 

Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.