It has been a busy week for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping as the upcoming prequel has filled yet another fan-favourite role. Succession‘s Kieran Culkin has joined the film as Hunger Games host Caesar Flickerman, played by Stanley Tucci in the original films.
Caesar Flickerman is the host of and Capitol’s mouthpiece for the Hunger Games, selling the Capitol’s propaganda that the Games are an honourable test of strength to be celebrated among the residents of the Capitol and its more loyal districts rather than the cruel punishment it is across the rest of Panem. As the host, Flickerman is usually only seen in the books and films when the tributes are interviewed by him for few minutes on the eve of the Games and offers some commentary to its audience.
Culkin is not only coming off the conclusion of HBO’s hit drama Succession, for which he won several awards throughout its four season run, but also his Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor in A Real Pain.
Released in March by Suzanne Collins, Sunrise on the Reaping takes fans back to the 50th anniversary of the Hunger Games, otherwise known as the Second Quarter Quell, where fan-favourite Haymitch Abernathy was reaped as one of District 12’s four tributes to compete in the game and won, eventually going on to mentor Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark nearly 25 years later in their own Games.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is being directed by Francis Lawrence and stars Joseph Zada (Invisible Boys) as Haymitch Abernathy, Whitney Peak (Hocus Pocus 2) as Lenore Dove Baird, McKenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) as Maysilee Donner, Jesse Plemons (Civil War) as Plutarch Heavensbee, Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Mufasa: The Lion King) as Beetee, Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) as Wiress, Lili Taylor (Outer Range) as Mags, Ben Wang (Karate Kid: Legends) as Wyatt Callow, Molly McCann (The Vanishing Triangle) as Louella McCoy, Iona Bell (Mandrake) as Lou Lou, Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) as President Snow, Elle Fanning (A Complete Unknown) as Effie Trinket, Ben Wang (Karate Kid: Legends), Molly McCann (The Vanishing Triangle), Iona Bell (Mandrake) and Kieran Culkin (Succession).
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be released on November 20th, 2026.
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