The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ Cast Revealed: Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, and More

Hunger Games fans, may the odds be ever in your favor—because the next chapter in Panem’s brutal saga just got a major casting upgrade. Lionsgate has officially revealed the star-studded lineup with Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, and Ralph Fiennes  for “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” the highly anticipated prequel film based on Suzanne Collins’ upcoming novel of the same name. Set 24 years before Katniss Everdeen’s rebellion, the film will spotlight the infamous 50th Hunger Games, better known in the lore as the second Quarter Quell—and now we know who will be bringing this dark chapter of Panem history to life.

Kieran Culkin Steps Into the Spotlight as Caesar Flickerman

Perhaps the most surprising (and thrilling) casting choice is Emmy and Golden Globe winner Kieran Culkin, fresh off his award-winning turn in Succession. Culkin will portray a younger, equally unsettling Caesar Flickerman, the flamboyant and morally ambiguous TV host of Panem’s annual bloodsport.

Lionsgate describes Caesar as “sickeningly watchable.” Caesar serves as the public face of the Games, manipulating emotion and spectacle for maximum Capitol entertainment. Culkin’s sardonic charm is already fueling buzz on social media, with fans eager to see how he transforms the chilling persona once embodied by Stanley Tucci.

Elle Fanning Is the New Effie Trinket

Joining him is Elle Fanning, who will don the wigs and Capitol couture as a young Effie Trinket, the District 12 escort made famous by Elizabeth Banks. With her recent performances in A Complete Unknown and Predator: Badlands, Fanning continues to prove she’s one of Hollywood’s most versatile rising stars.

Fanning’s casting has already sparked excitement among longtime fans of the franchise, primarily those curious to see Effie’s evolution into the conflicted Capitol loyalist we came to know during Katniss’s era.

Full ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ Cast: A Franchise Reborn

Also joining the expanding Hunger Games universe Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy (younger version of Woody Harrelson’s character), Ralph Fiennes as President Coriolanus Snow, Maya Hawke as Wiress, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Ben Wang, Iona Bell, and Molly McCann round out the ensemble

With returning characters and new faces, “Sunrise on the Reaping” promises to deepen the lore and raise the emotional stakes of Panem’s dark dystopia.

Release Date Set: Mark Your Calendars

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be released in theatres on November 20, 2026, just in time for awards season and holiday movie madness.

As more details emerge, fans are already speculating about key moments from the 50th Games—especially Haymitch’s legendary victory—and how this new cast will reinterpret some of the franchise’s most iconic roles.