It’s official! Jennifer Lawrence, who earned an Oscar nomination for her heartbreaking turn in the indie darling Winter’s Bone, has officially signed on the dotted line and will play Katniss Everdeen in the tentpole production of The Hunger Games, and its intended sequels. (The Wrap.)
Based on the YA novel by Suzanne Collins, the film adaptation will center on Katniss, an impoverished teen providing for her mother and little sister in the smoking ruins of what once was the United States. To feed her family she and her best friend Gale, a teen boy who broods like a man, hunt illegally in the woods that surround their district. It’s Katniss’ survival skills and archery prowess that come in handy when she’s entered in the Hunger Games, a nationally televised event produced by the government. Each year, a raffle is held, choosing two teen-aged tributes from each district to battle it out in a kill or be killed showdown. Katniss is set to enter the ring alongside a mild-mannered baker’s son named Peeta. But while 24 teens enter, only one leaves alive.
The book and its sequels have proved hugely popular, selling to tweens, teens and adult audiences. It was this crossover power that attracted movie producers, who hope to turn the trilogy of books into a franchise that will rival Harry Potter or Twilight.
Of course, with this news will come some backlash as many fans wanted a younger actress cast to play the 16-year-old heroine. However, Lawrence, who is 20, was my personal pick for Katniss back in January, so I couldn’t be happier about the news. Here’s why: for one thing, the books are written from Katniss’ point of view. Which means much of her thoughts will be left to be expressed through an actress’s physicality and facial expressions. Having seen Lawrence in Winter’s Bone, in which she played an introverted teen girl who has to face some dark truths to save her family from starvation, I know she has it in her to do Katniss justice. Secondly, while she is older than fans had hoped, she has a baby face and will certainly read younger. And realistically, it would have been too much of an obstacle to the production to cast an actress who’d be subject to the intense child labor laws – especially since it’s likely Katniss will be in nearly every scene of the film. That’s a huge responsibility – and one I think a more experienced actress would better be able to handle. And for all those fans who didn’t want a “name” in the role – let’s remember Lawrence wasn’t a name until a few months ago.
Now with Lawrence in place, she’ll be testing with potential Peetas and Gales to flesh out the angst-ridden love triangle. We already know Alex Pettyfer, Josh Hutcherson, and Hunter Parrish are contending for the part of Peeta, but no word yet on possible Gales.
We’ll keep you updated.
In the meantime, Lawrence will hit theaters this summer as Mystique in X-Men: First Class, and is featured in Jodie Foster’s controversial Beaver, which just debuted at SXSW.
The Hunger Games will hit theaters March 23, 2012.
What do you think of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss?