Looks like another actor has taken his name off the possible ‘Catching Fire’ casting roster. Just days after Robert Pattinson made it known that he wasn’t even in the running for the role of Finnick Odair, Taylor Kitsch has announced that he, too, will not be participating in the sequel to ‘The Hunger Games.’ In an e-mail to the L.A. Times, he simply wrote “Not going to happen.”
If you recall, we had reported that Lionsgate had narrowed the field to three actors to play Odair. The three named were Kitsch, Armie Hammer, and Garrett Hedlund. No explanation as to why Kitsch is no longer involved in the casting process. Whether it’s because he’s not interested or was taken off the list by Lionsgate or wasn’t even in contention in the first place is unknown, but it still leaves Armie Hammer and Garrett Hedlund as possibilities. Of course, Lionsgate has also left the door open to give the role to someone not as famous as the others. Some suggestions from our readers included Justin Hartley (‘Smallville’), Chord Overstreet (‘Glee’), and Ryan Kwanten (‘True Blood’).
As Odair will play a significant role in ‘Catching Fire’ as well as in the third and final installment of the trilogy, ‘Mockingjay,’ the actor who will eventually land the role has everyone intrigued. The casting notice for the character asks for a “male, mid-20s, very handsome, tall, tan skin, bronze hair, green eyes.” Kitsch seemed well fitted for the role but after coming off of two big movies that performed poorly in the box office (‘John Carter’ and ‘Battleship’), it’s not a surprise anyone on either side of this issue would be a little gun shy about getting involved in a movie of this caliber.
Are you sad that Kitsch is no longer in the running?
‘Catching Fire’ begins filming this summer and will arrive in theaters on Nov. 22, 2013.
