Kieran Culkin felt he was "being set up for failure" with Hunger Games recasting

Kieran Culkin has admitted he felt he was "being set up for failure" with his Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping casting. The Oscar-winner takes over the role of Caesar Flickerman in the prequel, made famous by Stanley Tucci in the original movies.

In a new interview, Culkin shared that playing the Hunger Games host "was already too much pressure" taking the role on.

"To me, this was like a no-brainer – don't do it, because everyone loves what Stanley Tucci did with the role," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "So I was like, 'They're gonna hate [me].' I feel like I'm being set up for failure. [They'll say], 'That's not Caesar!' No matter what I do."

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However, the star "found a different take on it" and something that "connects to" Tucci's incarnation, elaborating: "I'm not sure if that's genuine or not. I think it's a little bit performative. That's just my take on it.

"It could be interpreted differently, but I think whether or not this Caesar that I'm playing has any empathy is really not the point to him. He needs to succeed. He needs this to go well, and he needs to get the promotion he's looking for. So it doesn't matter whether or not he has empathy; he shuts it off."

Another actor taking on a younger incarnation of a familiar role is Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, played originally by Elizabeth Banks, the star reflecting on the original fan casting of her as the character.

"This franchise is what it is because of the fans, and so because of that, when they’re like, ‘Oh, we would love Elle to play Effie,’ of course it’s daunting because you want to do them justice and make them proud," she shared. "And I hope when the film comes out that they feel like they made the right choice."

Fanning also corresponded with Banks beforehand, calling her predecessor "so unbelievably kind and so talented and just an incredibly generous person".

"She really wanted me to have fun," the actor recalled. "She was like, ‘I want you to have as much fun as I did getting to play her. I give you my blessing, make her your own.’ And so that gave me the confidence."

Sunrise on the Reaping follows the younger Haymitch Abernathy (played here by Joseph Zada) and his victory at the 50th Hunger Games.

Following a fan screening in the UK, early reactions have been positive, one person suggesting it was "the best Hunger Games yet".

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is released in cinemas on 20 November.

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Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International.  Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.