Fresh off his Oscar win for “A Real Pain,” Kieran Culkin is joining the cast of “Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” as Caesar Flickerman, the witty showman who hosts the deadly event that was previously played by Stanley Tucci.
He joins Joseph Zada, Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor, Ben Wang, Elle Fanning and Ralph Fiennes in the announced cast of the film.
Set a quarter-century before the events of the “Hunger Games” trilogy, “Sunrise on the Reaping” tells the tale of how Haymitch Abernathy, played by Zada in the upcoming film, became the first District 12 competitor to win the Hunger Games. The film is based on the Suzanne Collins novel released this past March, which has already sold more than 1.5 million copies.
In the series, Caesar Flickerman serves as the public face of the Hunger Games for the viewers in the Capitol of Panem, interviewing the underage contestants of the deadly game that only one of them will survive.
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. Color Force’s Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson will produce. Cameron MacConomy will executive produce.
Culkin got his breakthrough role in the hit TV series “Succession,” receiving an Emmy and Golden Globe for his work on the show as the immature Roman Roy. He received his second Golden Globe and his first Academy Award for his performance in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” as David Kaplan, a charming but neurotic man who joins his fastidious cousin on a trip to Poland following the death of their grandmother.
Currently, Culkin is on Broadway starring alongside Bob Odenkirk and Bill Burr in a revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
Meredith Wieck and Scott O’Brien are overseeing the project for Lionsgate. Phil Strina negotiated the deal for the studio. Culkin is represented by WME, Brookside Artist Management and Relevant.
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