Home Alone star's Oscar-winner brother cast in Hunger Games prequel movie

Kieran Culkin is the latest star to be cast in the Hunger Games prequel film based on the book The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

The actor is best known for his roles as Roman Roy in Succession and Wallace Wells in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and for starring alongside his older brother Macaulay Culkin in the 1990 John Hughes Christmas classic Home Alone. Earlier this year, he took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor at the 2025 Academy Awards for the drama film A Real Pain, written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg.

Production is slated to begin in July 2025.

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Kieran will be playing Hunger Games presenter and TV personality Caesar Flickerman, originated by Stanley Tucci in 2012.

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-president Erin Westerman, in a statement released by the studio, described the character as "the sickeningly watchable host of Panem's darkest spectacle."

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is based on Suzanne Collins's novel of the same name, which was published on March 18, 2025. It is the fifth book in the Hunger Games series.

The book sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first week, making it the biggest debut of the series. In the U.S. alone, the book sold 1.2 million copies, double the opening sales of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and three times more than Mockingjay.

The post-apocalyptic prequel takes place 24 years before the events of the first novel, during the 50th Hunger Games, an annual event in which representatives from each district in Panem fight to the death, and features younger versions of several characters from the original series.

The first Hunger Games book was published in 2008, with a film adaptation starring Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen following in 2012.

42-year-old Kieran's casting was received well by fans of the franchise on social media, with one sharing their excitement on X, formerly Twitter: "Keiran Culkin is perfect for the role and a worthy successor for the iconic Caesar Flickerman character. Genius casting!"

The casting includes other big Hollywood names, like A Complete Unknown star and Dakota Fanning's little sister, Elle Fanning; Ralph Phiennes, known in the YA world for his portrayal of Voldemort in the Harry Potter films; Inside Out's Maya Hawke, and Oscar-nominee Jesse Plemons, among many others.

Fans praised the star-studded ensemble, with one writing, "The casting director is KILLINGGGGGG this job," and another echoing, "Yooooo this cast is actually insane!! Casting director better get that Oscar," referring to the new Best Casting category that will debut in 2026.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is set to hit theaters on Nov. 20, 2026. The author of the wildly popular series has not confirmed whether another book is in the works.