UPDATE: It's been confirmed – Jennifer Lawrence will play Katniss Everdeen!
We said we're going to keep an eye on the upcoming Gary Ross‘ adaptation of Suzanne Collins' book The Hunger Games, so here we are.
You previously learned that even 30 actresses have met or read for the role of Katniss Everdeen, and you also know that Jennifer Lawrence, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin are among the contenders for the leading female role.
But, let's stop at Winter's Bone star, Jennifer Lawrence, for a moment, because, according to the latest reports, she “has emerged as the front-runner, and while Lionsgate wouldn't confirm, formal talks are expected to begin next week.”
Let me remind you that this character, Katniss Everdeen, is described as a woman between 15 and 20, and as we said, age is a big factor in director's decision, as it will impact the audience demographic and other casting.
While we're still here, we should mention that Kick-Ass star, Chloe Moretz, True Grit star Hailee Steinfeld, Emma Roberts from Scream 4, Emily Browning from Sucker Punch, Lyndsy Fonseca from Kick-Ass team, Kaya Scodelario (Skins) and Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) were (and maybe still are) in the game. Of course, this means we'll have to wait for the official confirmation.
Until that happens, here's a little description of The Hunger Games book: “In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.”
Billy Ray is set to pen the script that Lionsgate hopes will be the next Twilight-like franchise. As we said, the source material is the hit book series by Suzanne Collins and Lionsgate have set a March 23, 2012 release date.
Stay tuned for more updates on The Hunger Games!
