Why Kieran Culkin Is Perfect As Caesar Flickerman
Tributes! There is a new advancement in the casting for the upcoming prequel, Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping casting — Kieran Culkin has been cast as Caesar Flickerman!
This prequel takes viewers back 24 years before the events of the original Hunger Game series, and centres around the 50th Hunger Games — the Second Quarter Quell — where the rules were more cruel and brutal.
Flickerman was previously played by the iconic Stanley Tucci. To match that level of sass, wit and energy, casting Culkin was a brilliant choice!
Kieran Culkin is having his moment in Hollywood — winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Real Pain, and playing the unfiltered middle child, Roman Roy in HBO's Succession, which has a cult following. All in all, he is doing very well.
We are waiting to see his own spin on this legendary character in one of the greatest franchises ever.
Culkin has been cast alongside a star-studded ensemble cast — Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Joseph Zada as young Haymitch Abernathy, Ralph Fiennes as young President Snow, Jesse Plemmons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Maya Hawke as Wiress, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier, Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Lili Taylor as Mags Flanagan, Molly McCann as Louella McCoy, and Iona Bell as Lou Lou.
Behind the cameras, in November 2024, Francis Lawrence, the Hunger Games franchise director signed a first-look producing deal with Lionsgate through his company, about:blank.
Francis Lawrence has directed four of the Hunger Game films: Catching Fire, Mockingjay 1 and 2, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Those films were absolute bangers, so I can't wait to see what this film holds for us.
Speaking about the decision to cast Culkin, the co-president of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, Erin Westerman said:
"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."
Furthermore, Producer Nina Jacobson clarified the thought process behind this casting. She stated, "Kieran's magnetism, wit and unpredictability make him a perfect fit for Caesar Flickerman. A host like Caesar transforms brutality into entertainment, and an actor as layered as Kieran makes sure we don't look away."
Coming back to the OG Caesar — Stanley Tucci's take on the character was to make him flamboyant, flashy, and uber charming!
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he spoke of his involvement with the character, saying, "I'd like to try teeth. I'd like to try some noses. I want him to have a tan. We have to really make it look like he has plastic surgery." Needless to say, he delivered.
Culkin has established himself as an actor with an unpredictable mindset—a blend of sarcastic and dark humour, charming wit, and bursts of vulnerability that consistently draw the viewer's attention. It's this very approach to his craft that will make his portrayal of Caesar eccentric and electric.
His co-star and director of the film A Real Pain, Jesse Eisenberg revealed on the Graham Norton Show, that he had cast Kieran for the part, not having watched ANY of his past work, but simply because of his essence.
Culkin's naturally chaotic demeanor in interviews and award shows is more than well-documented. Like this wholesome interaction between him and Colman Domingo on Actors on Actors which had fans envious of the contagious energy he possesses.
I would say his 'controlled chaotic' mannerisms will challenge the suave and entertaining version of Tucci when playing this character. But since it is the younger version of Flickerman in one of the most brutal hunger games, chaotic is fitting for the mood of Panem.
giphy.com / Via giphy.com
Culkin has talked about his 'free-associative acting style' in the past. He said in an interview with Vulture, " It's written, and I understand the character, and then some shit comes out sometimes; that's it. And I don't force it." And it is this very energy... which is what makes me so excited to see him wear those wigs as Caesar. Kiernan's theatrical and flamboyant movements will bring a whimsical energy to this role... and I'm seated for it.
And it is this very energy that excites me to see him wear those wigs. Culkin's theatrical and flamboyant movements will bring a whimsical energy to this role...and I'm seated for it.
giphy.com / Via giphy.com
Naturally, fans are all over this casting and can't get enough of it.
I will see you in the theatres on November 20th, 2026.
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