This year is a big year for those who loved “The Maze Runner,” “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent” and the dystopian genre in general. 

The much anticipated sequel of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and the prequel to “The Hunger Games” trilogy “Sunrise on the Reaping” is set to come out this November, and fans could not be more ready. Lionsgate released the first official trailer for the film detailing the 50th Hunger Games from Haymitch Abernathy’s, played by Joseph Zada perspective on April 13. 

Fans have already begun to praise the film for its use of color, one commenter on YouTube even saying “Seeing a movie without Netflix lighting is such a breath of fresh air.”

But “Sunrise on the Reaping” isn’t the only next installment in one of the biggest dystopian franchises. 

Veronica Roth, author of the “Divergent” book series, announced the release of “The Sixth Faction” on Sunday, April 19 at BookCon 2026. “The Sixth Faction” is not a sequel, prequel or a spinoff of “Divergent,” but an alternate universe where Beatris Prior, the main character of the series, chooses a different faction and not Dauntless. 

When someone mentions the “big three” dystopian movies, they’re usually referencing “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent” and “The Maze Runner.” All three of these were book series that were turned into majorly successful movie franchises. 

In 2024, there were murmurs of a “Maze Runner” reboot being in the works, but so far nothing has actually come out. The book series has nine books in total, three in the main trilogy, two prequels, a novella and a sequel trilogy. 

Not only are popular dystopian series making a comeback, but new films are coming out that show dystopia is back and ready to take the world by storm once again. 

“ The Long Walk” an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel with the same title, follows a group of boys who must maintain a certain walking speed or be shot. The film hit theaters last October and was incredibly well-received by critics and fans.

You’re not going to hear any complaints from me if the dystopian genre does in fact make a comeback this year.

Categories: Arts & Entertainment