Kieran Culkin Cast as Caesar Flickerman in Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Kieran Culkin, fresh off a run of critically acclaimed performances, has been officially cast as Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the upcoming prequel from Lionsgate. The film is scheduled to hit theaters on November 20, 2026.

Culkin’s career has been on a steady rise in recent years, culminating in multiple major awards for his role as Roman Roy on HBO’s Succession and his performance in last year’s indie hit A Real Pain. That role alone earned him a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. This firmly positions him as one of the most compelling actors working in Hollywood today. Now, with this latest casting, Culkin steps into one of the most iconic roles in the Hunger Games universe: the flamboyant and often unsettling host of the Capitol’s deadly games.

While the character of Caesar Flickerman was previously portrayed by Stanley Tucci with memorable eccentricity in the original films, Sunrise on the Reaping introduces a younger version of the character during the early days of the Hunger Games. Set decades before the events of Katniss Everdeen’s rebellion, this prequel explores the rise of the Capitol’s pageantry and propaganda. It is a setting that seems tailor-made for Culkin’s brand of slick, biting charisma.

Culkin’s combination of sarcasm and emotional vulnerability, honed over years of performances, makes him a natural fit for a Capitol spokesperson who is both a symbol of excess and a veiled participant in the regime’s cruelty. His take on Flickerman is expected to add new depth to the role, showing how media figures in Panem shaped public opinion and normalized the Games for generations to come.

Fans of Culkin’s earlier work will remember his roots in child acting, from Home Alone alongside his brother Macaulay Culkin to Father of the Bride. But it is his recent transformation into a sharp and emotionally complex actor that makes this casting choice stand out.

As anticipation builds for Sunrise on the Reaping, this casting signals a bold step in redefining familiar characters while expanding the world of Panem. With Culkin in the spotlight, the franchise may be poised for a fresh, sophisticated take on its origins.

Whether or not this version of Caesar will deliver the same energetic charm as Tucci’s remains to be seen, but it is clear that Kieran Culkin is ready to leave his mark on the Capitol.