Kieran Culkin Reportedly Eyed for Iconic Role as Caesar Flickerman in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’

A new Hunger Games movie is on the way, and it’s already creating buzz. In June 2024, after a brand-new prequel book was announced, Lionsgate confirmed that a movie version is also in the works. The film is titled The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and is set to hit theaters on November 20, 2026.

The story will take fans back in time, taking place forty years after The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and twenty-four years before the original Hunger Games trilogy. The movie will focus on the 2nd Quarter Quell, an early version of the Hunger Games that took place before Katniss Everdeen’s time. It will give a closer look at Panem’s past, exploring the Capitol and the Districts during a very different period.

Director Francis Lawrence, who worked on several previous Hunger Games movies, is in early talks to return and direct this prequel as well.

In exciting casting news/rumors, Kieran Culkin has reportedly been offered the role of Caesar Flickerman, the colorful and over-the-top TV host of the Hunger Games. Caesar was famously played by Stanley Tucci in the original films. Culkin, best known for his Emmy-winning role in Succession, may now bring a new version of Caesar to life—one who is likely younger but still full of flair.

This casting news comes from Daniel Richtman’s Patreon, a popular source for early entertainment scoops. While nothing is confirmed yet, the idea of Culkin joining the Hunger Games universe has fans excited.

With a fresh story, returning director, and exciting casting offers, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated movies of 2026. Fans of Panem will once again get to return to the arena—this time, to uncover secrets from a deadly past.

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