Sam Claflin talks about upcoming 'Hunger Games' film: 'I'm attached to it'

Sam Claflin gushes over 'The Hunger Games' movies

Sam Claflin is one of the devoted fans of The Hunger Games franchise and can’t wait for the upcoming Sunrise on the Reaping film.

Claflin is closely associated with the franchise as he played Finnick Odair in the original films. The franchise then continued with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and told the story of a young Coriolanus Snow.

The upcoming installment, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, will follow a young Haymitch, played by Joseph Zada, who stars opposite Whitney Peak playing Lenore Dove Baird. The prequel is set 24 years before the original trilogy.

Claflin shared that he’s “a huge lover and fan of the world [author] Suzanne Collins created” and “can’t help but feel attached to it.”

While promoting Bille August’s The Count of Monte Cristo series at Canneseries, he told Variety, “I thought it was a fresh take with a fresh generation. They did a wonderful job. I understand the ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ book is even better.”

“I recently sat down in L.A. with Francis, who is the man who cast me,” recalled the Me Before You star. “Being able to reminisce with him and hear about the producing side of it, as they are in Berlin preparing for the film, was so exciting. I was picking his brain. I’d heard who they had in mind for casting and thought, ‘Oh my god, this is so exciting!’ So I am right there with you and everyone looking forward to it.”

The Love, Rosie star also gushed over the fact that his son, 9, is now aware of the franchise and close to the age where he can watch the movies.

“What’s amazing is that my little boy is at an age where he is aware of ‘Hunger Games,’” he shared giddily. “He’s nearly old enough to watch it. Experiencing it through his eyes soon will be really, really rewarding. I have friends’ kids who have watched it, and they question me every single time I see them. It’s so nice being able to connect with the younger generation on that, especially being a father myself now. It’s a joy.”

“It’s been over 10 years since we shot the last film, and it’s absurd to think about what has happened in my life since then. It’s a huge part of my life,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Sam Claflin plays sailor Edmund Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo mini series.