The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins was picked up for a movie to be produced by Nina Jacobson (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) over a year ago. It wasn’t until then that I even bothered to read the young adult series, but I found it gripping and graphic. Now since that has been announced there has been NO movement on that front. The rights to the film are bought, but it seems that they are not doing anything just yet.
So I took it upon myself to introduce a new feature here at TMB where we cast movies that haven’t been cast yet. Then should the film come out we can compare our picks to what really happens to see how close we are.
The Hunger Games is a young adult book that features a fictional world of Panem (though some speculate it is a post apocalyptic United States). The nation revolves around a splendid and visually stunning Capitol and 12 numbered Districts that each provide the Capitol with a specific industry.
According to their history, a 13th district once existed, and when they rebelled against the Capitol, it was wiped out and the punishment to the other Districts to ward off thoughts of rebellion was the Hunger Games.
Each year one male and one female (between the age of 12-17) from each district would be chosen at random to fight to the death in an elaborate arena, and aired as entertainment. The winner would be rewarded for their survival, while the losers were a harsh reminder of the punishment for rebellion.
The books are great, touching on some very mature concepts to introduce to young readers. Its a gripping read, and a second book has already been published with a hotly anticipated third book coming out this August.
If it were to finally be made into a movie, this is how we see it playing out. If we had any say…
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Katniss Everdeen – Alexandra Daddario Katniss is slender 16 year old with black hair, grey eyes and olive skin. She is often quiet and is generally liked by District 12’s residents, mostly because of her ability to provide highly-prized game for a community in which starvation is a constant threat. Katniss has been the sole provider for her family, a role she was reluctantly forced to assume at the age of eleven when her mother’s grief overcame her ability to function. Alexandra Daddario is the perfect visual for who I see in my head reading these books. She has a maturity beyond her very young looks, and physically she matches the book’s description of her. After seeing her in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, this is how I see Katniss. |
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Peeta Mellark – Jesse McCartney The 16-year-old male tribute from District 12. He is described as being “medium height with a stocky build” and has “ashy blond hair that falls in waves over his forehead” with blue eyes. Upon arriving in the Capitol, it is discovered that Peeta has an instinctive ability to perform on camera and manipulate public sentiment. He has harbored a secret liking for Katniss since they were five that continues through the Games. He is rarely moody or upset and generally takes things lightly. This young voice actor and popstar has had some on screen presence as well, and visually this is what I think of when I picture Peeta Mellark and I think he would do well to draw the girly swooning admiration the fans of this series have embodied in the lovestruck suitor to Katniss’ affections. His boyish good looks would make it easy for him to pass as 17. |
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Rue – Abagail Breslin The 12 year old female tribute from District 11. She formed an alliance with Katniss. She was small and dark skinned from working all day long. Her love of music inspired her to teach Katniss a simple, 4-note melody which she used to signal quitting time in the orchards back home. She reminds Katniss of her younger sister Prim, which played a major factor in her deciding to team up with her. Breslin has the ability to capture the heart strings and this is a due requirement of Rue. Rue embodies the harsh reality of the Games, and Abigail could bring that charm and appeal to such a young soul. |
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Gale Hawthorne – Kevin Zegers An 18-year-old who is Katniss’s best friend and hunting partner. Like Katniss, he has dark hair and gray eyes. His father died in the same explosion that killed Katniss’s father. The pair have combined their respective talents, his at trapping and hers at archery, to become a highly effective team. Their success makes them fixtures at District 12’s black market, where they trade their illegal game for other valuable items. He is in love with Katniss as well, and his unrequitted love becomes a love triangle that tugs at Katniss. Zegers is a bit of an unknown, but still has been around for quite a while. His rough and tumble looks match Gale’s stern presence, but he is still prettyboy enough to swoon the girls and present a real conflict for Katniss’ affections. |
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Haymitch Abernathy – Kurt Russell A “paunchy, middle-aged man” who was the victor of the 50th Hunger Games. Since winning made him independently wealthy, he has spent almost all of his intervening leisure intoxicated to the point of embarrassment. Being the only surviving Hunger Games champion from District 12, Haymitch acts as a mentor for Peeta and Katniss before they enter the Games, as he has for every couple in the twenty-five years since his own victory. He is often sarcastic and anything but sober, which Katniss finds highly irritating. However, when pushed, he emerges as the pair’s greatest advocate and shows himself to be highly canny as he guides his protégés in a cleverly designed, highly unorthodox strategy aimed at securing the survival of both tributes. Kurt Russell plays broken really well. Just watch Stargate to see him as the perfect loving father figure with survival and instinct behind those soft caring eyes. Made callous by his repeated involvement in the brutal games, his caring for this particular pair of tributes brings out his best side. |
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Cinna – Hugh Dancy Katniss’ stylist, responsible for her public appearance. After designing the spectacular outfits of the opening ceremony, which included igniting Katniss and Peeta’s costumes, he calls Katniss “The Girl Who Was on Fire.” Cinna is in his first year as a stylist for the Games and his audacious designs immediately win over the audience for Katniss and Peeta. Despite (or perhaps because of) his professional interest in images, Cinna proves to be better than most at seeing through the superficial spectacle of the Games to their barbaric core. He and Katniss establish an easy, comfortable relationship and he demonstrates a genuine concern for her well-being. The every charming Hugh Dancy is a fan favourite for the role, and I have to agree. He could pull off this charm, presence and ambition very well. |
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Effie Trinket – Miranda Richardson Effie works as an escort for District 12, particularly to Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. From drawing the tributes at the reaping to escorting them to the Capitol, Effie Trinket does it all. At first, she detests her job, doing her best to be promoted to a better, richer district. But as time goes by, Effie gets attached to her District 12 acquaintances. Effie Trinket has bright pink hair, speculated to be a wig. Effie can be a bit of a airhead at times, totally oblivious to the sorrows and misfortunes that fall upon District 12. She’s very strict about manners and being “proper”, as that is the Capitol’s way. After seeing Richardson as Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter, I can’t get that stylized bold personality out of my head. Miranda Richardson does many different outrageous roles and looks very different in all of them but she manages to do them all well. |
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Primrose Everdeen – Jodelle Ferland Katniss’ little sister. She is 12 years old and has her name put in the reaping for the first time. She was originally chosen as the District 12 female tribute but Katniss volunteered in her stead. No one ever volunteers to take another’s place in the Games, so when Katniss’ little sister is put up, the strong devotion and sacrifice required would have to have some pull. Jodelle Ferland has that draw of innocence that Katniss is sacrificing herself to spare. |
There are others in the cast such as the other Tributes in the Arena, but these are the main players that will make up the cast. Its difficult to say if any of these will stick as these actors are mostly pretty young, and if the movie doesn’t get made soon some of them may be too old to pass off as teenagers.
Have you read the Hunger Games? How close am I with my picks? What would you pick instead?
