Kieran Culkin Cast as Caesar Flickerman in New Hunger Games Film

After months of speculation, Kieran Culkin has officially been tapped to portray a young Caesar Flickerman in Lionsgate's upcoming Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping.

A Star-Studded Addition to Panem

Lionsgate made the announcement official today via Twitter/X, confirming Culkin will embody the flamboyant Hunger Games host in next year's adaptation. Fans had been buzzing with casting theories ever since rumors surfaced earlier this year. With this highly-anticipated confirmation complete, attention now turns to Lionsgate's execution of another prequel installment.

The new film serves as another chapter expanding Suzanne Collins' dystopian universe, chronologically positioned between 2023's The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the original Jennifer Lawrence-led Hunger Games films from the 2010s.

Caesar Flickerman.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – in theaters November 20, 2026. pic.twitter.com/hggGysk4Nd

— The Hunger Games (@TheHungerGames) May 21, 2025

Culkin faces the challenge of bringing fresh energy to a role immortalized by Stanley Tucci's memorable portrayal in the original films, which concluded their run in 2015.

The Perfect Host Emerges

"Kieran possesses that rare combination of irresistible charm and razor-sharp wit that makes him ideal for Caesar - Panem's most unsettlingly charismatic personality," said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-President Erin Westerman.

Culkin comes to the role fresh off his award-winning success in HBO's Succession as Roman Roy and Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain, performances that earned him industry accolades including an Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA.

The actor brings decades of screen experience to Panem, tracing back to his childhood roles in classics like Home Alone (alongside brother Macaulay Culkin) and Father of the Bride.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters November 20, 2026, featuring an ensemble cast including Ralph Fiennes reprising his role as President Snow alongside newcomers Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, and Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy.