It’s official. After weeks of speculation and fan-fueled fury and fervor Lionsgate has revealed the leads of The Hunger Games, the hotly anticipated adaptation of the YA novel about a teen girl’s battle for survival and first encounters with love.
Joining Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games will be Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, each beating out a wide field of contenders for the roles. While Lawrence will take on Katniss Everdeen, the 16-year-old heroine of the future franchise, Hutcherson will play the besotted baker boy Peeta with Hemsworth rounding out the team-forming love triangle as Katniss’s handsome hunting buddy, Gale. [The Wrap]
This is a decision likely to cause an uproar – because well – every HG story is causing one. Expect some fans to decry Hemsworth for being too old-looking (or “not hot” enough) while others denounce Hutcherson for not being a natural blonde, just as Lawrence was deemed “too old” and “too curvy” by a bevy of online commenters. For my part, I think Hutcherson and Lawrence have both proven themselves to be compelling and talented performers, and I look forward to seeing what they bring to the brutal tale of The Hunger Games. Their casting suggests that director Gary Ross is striving to make a film that will appeal to more than tweens, and as an adult who loved the novels, I’m more than a little relieved at this. (Maybe Ross’ inspiration for the film(s) is less Twilight and more Lord of the Rings?) As for Hemsworth, I’m lukewarm at best on this decision; I never saw a Gale contender attached that piqued my interest.
Word has it Lawrence is already in training, learning survival skills and archery in preparation for the role. Hutcherson and Hemsworth will take to training in short order, as the tent pole film nears production with a promised release date of March 23, 2012. To that end, expect more casting notices to come down soon, including who will play the gruff and oft drunk mentor Haymitch Abernathy?
What say you? Do you like this cast? Are you Team Gale or Team Peeta?