Who Kieran Culkin Will Portray in ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’, Explained
A Real Pain’s Oscar winner has just joined an already all-star cast of The Hunger Games’ next prequel movie, taking on the role of a character already familiar from the original movie series. Here’s everything you need to know about Kieran Culkin’s role in Sunrise on the Reaping.
Sunrise on the Reaping’s casting announcement have been making The Hunger Games fandom’s dreams come true one after another, with Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning and Kieran Culkin becoming some of the latest additions to the future movie’s ensemble.
Set 24 years before the original movie series’ events, Sunrise on the Reaping will follow young Haymitch Abernathy and his journey towards winning the 50th Hunger Games, also bringing in several familiar faces from The Hunger Games’ trilogy.
Ironically, Kieran Culkin has been long manifested for the role he eventually landed, taking it over after Stanley Tucci.
Kieran Culkin to Portray Young Caesar Flickerman in ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’
The actor has just guaranteed Sunrise on the Reaping’s casting director another round of applause as, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Culkin has been officially cast as The Hunger Games’ interview host Caesar Flickerman, weeks after the franchise’s fans suggested he would be a perfect candidate for the role.
“Kieran’s scene-stealing presence and undeniable charm are perfect for Caesar Flickerman, the sickeningly watchable host of Panem’s darkest spectacle. Stanley Tucci made Caesar unforgettable — and now Kieran will make the role entirely his own”, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erin Westerman revealed in a statement.
In The Hunger Games’ universe, Caesar Flickerman is an eccentric Gamemaker who is responsible for conducting interviews with each tribute ahead of their competition in the arena.
Not much is revealed about Caesar’s backstory, but it’s suggested by both Katniss and Haymitch that he’s been hosting the Hunger Games for more than 40 years and every time did his best to help tributes show the best version of themselves to eventually get some help from sponsors.
What Happens to Caesar Flickerman After Katniss’ Rebellion?
In the original movie series, the character doesn’t show up much except in those sequences that see him conducting interviews, though Caesar gets a bigger role in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.
The two-part movie’s first chapter shows Caesar interviewing Peeta after the latter has been tortured by the Capitol; later, Caesar proceeds to interviewing Peeta two times more, provoking another series of punishments for the District 12 victor.
Eventually, neither Caesar’s role in the rebellion nor his fate afterwards are revealed, which at some point caused speculation whether he died or survived the war.
When Is ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ Premiering?
The movie will arrive in theatres worldwide on November 20, 2026.
