Now that Robert Pattinson has denied rumors that he was up for the role of Finnick Odair in the upcoming ‘The Hunger Games,’ ‘Catching Fire,’ sequel (much to the sadness of his fans), many are speculating who could fill that role. Well, according to E! Online, Lionsgate has now narrowed the field to three actors: Armie Hammer, Taylor Kitsch, and Garrett Hedlund.
While not ruling out the possibility of an unknown tackling this role, the three on the shortlist do have their pros and cons as to why they would fit the part. But if its been awhile since you’ve read the second book in ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy (or haven’t read it at all), let me fill you in on who Finnick Odair is first.
Odair plays a significant role in ‘Catching Fire’ He is a previous Hunger Games winner who won the 65th annual event at the age of 14. (In comparison, Katniss and Peeta won the 74th games.) He’s flirty, bold, captivating, quite handsome and appears full of himself. Since winning the games, he has spent his time romancing influential Capitol citizens. He is described as having red hair and kills with a trident. There are layers to Odair’s character which eventually come important to the storyline too.
A decision is said to be made sometime this week as to whether Hammer, Kitsch, or Hedlund will be picked for the role. While each actor has their pros and cons, it will be interesting to see who Lionsgate will sign. Hammer was recently seen as Prince Alcott in the Tarsem Singh movie version of Snow White called ‘Mirror, Mirror’ and is currently filming the lead in ‘The Lone Ranger’ with Johnny Depp. Hedlund is more known as playing the lead role for the game infused film ‘Tron: Legacy.’ As for Kitsch, while very good looking, he has already been cast in the lead role of what industry people are calling two major sci-fi duds (‘John Carter’ and ‘Battleship’). Will this hold him back from getting the role?
Regarding the news of the shortlist, a Lionsgate rep has said, “As with the first film, we won’t be confirming, denying or commenting on any casting rumors for this title. We will announce news-wide when there is official casting news to announce.”
I guess we’ll just have to wait. Who knows? It may all come down to who looks the best dressed only in a fishermen’s net for the parade scene. So who do you think should be chosen or is there another actor you’d like to see in the role of Odair? Sound off below!
