Duisburg Casts for Panem: Seeking 4,000 Extras
The highly anticipated prequel to the beloved "Hunger Games" series, titled "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping," is set to begin filming in Cologne and Duisburg, Germany, from late August to early October. The film will revisit the dark and brutal world of the Hunger Games, where 24 children become enemies in the arena, as there can only be one victor.
The Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, a former steelworks, will once again serve as a filming location, having been used in "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." The park will represent the poorest district of the fictional state of Panem, District 12, a dilapidated coal mining region.
The cast for the prequel includes several familiar faces. Glenn Close will play Drusilla Sickle, a character whose role is yet to be fully revealed. Mckenna Grace has been cast as Maysilee Donner, a character from the Panem districts. Ralph Fiennes, known for his role as Lord Voldemort in "Harry Potter" and his recent role in the Vatican thriller "Konklave," will portray President Coriolanus Snow, a role previously played by Donald Sutherland in the first four films.
Other confirmed roles include Joseph Zada as Haymitch Abernathy, Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, and Billy Porter as Magno Stift, Drusilla Sickle's estranged husband. Kieran Culkin and Elle Fanning are also part of the cast, but their characters have yet to be specified.
Francis Lawrence, who directed "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1," will be at the helm of this new film. A total of 4,000 extras are being sought for the filming, with applicants of all ethnicities, countries of origin, genders, and age groups, from zero to 80 years old, encouraged to apply.
Children and young adults aged four to 22 are particularly in demand, with slim extras sought to portray the residents of the state of Panem. The agency Eick & Weber is conducting an open, free online casting at https://casting-panem.de with a deadline of September 17. Applicants should be prepared to have their hair cut during the costume and makeup test, with interested parties asked to let their hair grow from now until mid-September.
The Hunger Games, deadly games held in the arena of the Capitol, the capital of Panem, are intended to reinforce the power position of the Capitol and President Coriolanus Snow, and are comparable to the gladiatorial games of ancient Rome. The series, written by Suzanne Collins, revolves around the Hunger Games, where children from the twelve districts of Panem, with a girl and a boy aged 12 to 18 being randomly chosen each year to participate.
In addition to Cologne, the film "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" was also filmed in the Duisburg area. The prequel promises to delve deeper into the origins of the Hunger Games and the rise of President Snow, offering fans a new perspective on this dystopian world.
In the Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, another stirring chapter of the Hunger Games saga is set to unfold, as the park will be used to represent the impoverished District 12, echoing its previous role in "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." Top-tier stars such as Glenn Close, Mckenna Grace, Ralph Fiennes, and Billy Porter are part of the cast, portraying various characters in the prequel, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping."
