Most of the young cast surrounding Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth in The Hunger Games will be comprised of unknowns. For the scattered adult roles, Lionsgate is looking to more familiar faces. Elizabeth Banks was confirmed as Effie Trinket earlier today, and word on the street says the studio is after John C. Reilly to play drunken mentor Haymitch. Vulture hears Lionsgate has sent out offers to a bevy of actors for other supporting roles, including Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, and Lenny Kravitz. Strict nondisclosure agreements have prevented too many details leaking, though Harrelson was linked to the role of Seneca Crane, the designer behind the Hunger Games that pit 24 teens against each other in a fight to the death.
The Hunger Games, based on the first book in a series by Suzanne Collins, is scheduled for release on March 23, 2012. Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) will direct from a script by Billy Ray (State of Play). Read the official synopsis and a bit of casting/character speculation after the break.
If I recall, Seneca Crane is a very small role, one that doesn’t warrant a Woody Harrelson in compressed movie time. If the rumor is accurate, I wonder if he and Plutarch Heavensbee, Seneca’s successor as Head Gamemaker. That hypothetical role is Harrelson-sized, and seems a reasonable way to economize the adaptation from page to screen.
The stylist Cinna is pretty much a younger version of Tucci’s character in The Devil Wears Prada, but Tucci is too old to play the character as written. I think he’d make a great Caeser Flickerman, the flamboyant yet canny television interviewer. Perhaps you’d prefer to see Tucci play the reptilian villain President Snow. Hell, Tucci would make a great Haymitch if things don’t work out with Reilly. Wherever they plug him in, Tucci is a great addition.
Kravitz is also a viable contender for Cinna, I suppose. But I picture him as fellow stylist Flavius, “a man with orange corkscrew locks who wears purple lipstick.” That was Kravitz’s go-to style in 1997.
Official synopsis:
The Hunger Games is a worldwide fan phenomenon, the novel having been on the New York Times best seller list for over 130 consecutive weeks. The film chronicles Katniss Everdeen’s defiant struggle to survive in a future dystopia where The Capitol requires its twelve subjugated districts to atone for their onetime insurrection through the annual “Hunger Games,” a fight-to-the-death event held in a fantastical man made arena. Although persevering through extreme hardship is commonplace for the audacious heroine, she is forced to make choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love in order to win the games and return home to District 12.
THE HUNGER GAMES will be directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Collins’ best-selling novel, which has over 3 million copies in print in the United States alone, is the first in a trilogy of science fiction/action novels which have developed a global following.
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Depending on the Terra Nova schedule, get Stephen Lang as Haymitch, he’s perfect for the role. And let me say this, Lang, Harrelson and Tucci are among the coolest men on the planet! Who dosen’t agree with me?
Can you elaborate on why Lang would be perfect for Haymitch? That sounds off to me.
Cinna = Zachary Quinto. Done.
Wow.. wasn’t sure about it when I first read it, but I LIKE this idea.
Although at this point I am worried the adult roles are all going to be more camp than I had seen in my head. The games themselves need to be brutal. But still hard to take it seriously when so many comedic actors are playing the adults.
Think about it though a lot of the Capitol residents are extremely flimsy, airheaded people. They’re only concerned with image, power and fame really so I think an actor with strong comedic skills can strike the right balance between the brutality of the character’s behavior but also the surfac-y aspects as well.
Lang has a specialty for playing tragic heroes, which is what Haymitch is essentially. Look at his performances in Avatar (a villain, yes, but his actions were for the right reasons), Stonewall Jackson in Gods and Generals and his incredible stage play Beyond Glory, where he plays eight Medal-of-Honor recipients that recalls their turmoils in war. Not to mention he was the original Jessup in A Few Good Men on stage. Somewhere in all of those characters, you’ll find Haymitch.
I heart Lang, however… He’s just too old. I can see him being maybe in the 3rd movie as a high ranking member of the military of District 13, maybe Boggs. But unfortunately it’s a small part, so it’s not likely.
If anyone of the three can do Haymitch, it’s Woody Harrelson. I haven’t seen Kravitz do any acting, but I have reservations against anyone who has a very charismatic rockstar personality trying to fit into a dystopian future movie role…
However, I don’t think he’ll be able to do it, because Terra Nova looks to have a very tight shooting schedule, something like 9 days to film an episode or whatever.
You could definitely see your enthusiasm within the work you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. All the time follow your heart.