If there’s any proof that Kieran Culkin has gone from a gifted character actor into one of the most in-demand performers working in Hollywood today, the 42-year-old actor has officially signed onto to star in the latest Hunger Games, Sunrise on the Reaping, later this year.
Culkin is set to take over the role of Caesar Flickerman, the wild-haired, idiosyncratic TV host of the Hunger Games competition formerly played by Stanley Tucci in the original films.
Culkin’s involvement in the project comes after similarly noteworthy actors have announced their role in the upcoming dystopian film. Ralph Fiennes, best known for his work in Schindler’s List, The English Patient and Conclave, is set to appear as a younger version of President Coriolanus Snow, taking over the role from the late Donald Sutherland and Tom Blyth.
Additionally, Maya Rudolph has been cast in the role of Amanda Plummer’s character, Wiress, from the later Hunger Games films; Kelvin Harrison Jr. will likewise portray a younger iteration of Jeffrey Wright’s Beetee Latier, Elle Fanning will portray Effie Trinket and Jesse Plemons will play Plutarch Heavensbee.
Culkin’s role in the film comes after his recent successes in the realms of both television and film. Over the last few years, the 42-year-old Culkin made headlines for his portrayal of Roman Roy, the dry-witted, endlessly sarcastic youngest sibling in HBO’s award-winning drama, Succession.
After winning acclaim for his performance on Succession (as well as a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series), Culkin went on to star in 2024’s renowned dark comedy, A Real Pain. For his performance as a grieving, free-spirited American embarking on a historical tour of Poland, Culkin won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 97th Academy Awards, along with a BAFTA and Golden Globe Award in that same category.
More recently, Culkin has once again earned standout attention for his Broadway appearance in Glengarry Glen Ross, alongside other exceptional actors like Bob Odenkirk, Bill Burr and Michael McKean.
