The casting for The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire was announced a couple weeks ago and now we’re finally getting solid proof of that sh*t is going down. The first on-set shots of the movie are circulating online and I’m kinda freaking out.
Josh Hutcherson shows off his newly-dyed blond hair as Peeta and Sam Claflin looks smoking as Finnick Odair. The duo are on location in Atlanta Georgia,
Check them out below:
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After months of speculation, most of the casting for The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire has FINALLY been decided, including (drumroll) hunk Finnick Odair who we were theorizing about here, here and here. Yeah… we’re kind of obsessive.
Here’s what we know so far, though we’re still waiting to see who will play tech-savvy male tribute Beetee.
*WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD*
Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair
Where you’ve seen him: Snow White and the Huntsman
Role: Finnick Odair is a District 4 victor and playboy who is sent to the Third Quarter Quell with Katniss and Peeta. He wields a trident and a hypnotizing smile.
Jena Malone as Johanna Mason
Where you’ve seen her: Pride and Prejudice
Role: Johanna Mason is a District 7 victor who carries an ax. She loves teasing Katniss with her hyped up sexuality. The first time they met, she was completely nude. She’s pretty cold and we’re not sure whether or not to trust her.
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee
Where you’ve seen him: Moneyball
Role: He replaces Seneca Crane as Head Gamemaker, which means he’s planning the next Hunger Games.
Stephanie Leigh Schlund as Cashmere Read more…
Pretty much every actor in Young Hollywood would gladly participate as a tribute in The Hunger Games if their prize was to play Finnick Odair in the sequel, Catching Fire. Many names have been tossed around over the last couple months, including Jesse Williams, Zac Efron and Armie Hammer.
The latest rumor is that actor Sam Claflin has landed the role. Variety’s Jeff Sneider confirmed that Claflin made the studio’s shortlist to play Finnick. Now according to Zap2It, Lionsgate has signed off on his offer.
Claflin starred in this year’s Snow White and the Huntsman and last summer’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Unlike some of the other names that have been tossed around (Robert Pattinson, Ryan Gosling) I can actually imagine Claflin as Odair… he just needs to be a little more blond and bronzed but those are easy fixes.
Finnick Odair is the trident-wielding victor from District Four who participates in the Quarter Quell. He’s a Capitol playboy and we’re not sure whether or not we can trust his charming smile.
Do you think Claflin is a good fit?
Sam Claflin interview:
Jena Malone will reportedly play District 7′s Johanna Mason in The Hunger Games‘ sequel, Catching Fire. Although there were reports that Mia Wasikowska and Zoe Aggeliki were contenders, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Malone was offered the part and is in the early stages of negotiations.
*SPOILERS: Mason is one of the key players in Catching Fire and the third instalment Mockingjay, as she aligns herself with Peeta and Katniss. She’s the last surviving female Hunger Games winner from District 7 and one of the youngest overall.
The role is one of the most difficult because Johanna has a strong sexuality and a lot of one-liners that are half witty and half snarky. She also introduces herself to the slightly prude Katniss completely NUDE. I hadn’t really thought of Malone for the part but she actually seems like a good fit.
Meanwhile, we’re still eagerly awaiting a final decision on Finnick Odair, a Capitol playboy and charmer. DROOL.
Looks like another storm of racist comments are coming over the possible casting of Jesse Williams for Finnick Odair in the next Hunger Games films Catching Fire and Mockingjay.
The trilogy has met a lot of criticism in the past for first casting Jennifer Lawrence to transform into the dark-complexioned Katniss Everdeen. Then, there was the controversy over casting Amandla Stenberg as 11-year-old Rue because of her race.
But according to message boards like this one, people seem to think that Finnick Odair should be Caucasian:
Here are some of the comments:
“I think that Jesse Wiliams just won’t work. Finnick Odair in my eyes is Tall, young, disheveled medium long luscious Golden blonde hair, ocean blue colored eyes, he has a glowing tan, washboard abs, and wears almost no clothes, at the same times carries a trident. That is the guy i wan’t to see as Finnick. For example PERFECT GUY is Ian Somerhalder. Color him blonde and throw in some contacts and wala you have Finnick Odair!”
“I’m sorry but unless I read the wrong book, isn’t Finnick Caucasian? By tanned skin Collins meant his skin was darkened from the sun (swimming/fishing) not that he is of a darker skin ethnicity… Don’t get me wrong, this guy is great just completely wrong for this role.”
Meanwhile, here’s what Williams had to say:
“I didn’t know what the heck a Finnick was when I was getting a lot of the questions about it. People are creative about that kind of stuff, and now I’ll try to figure out if that’s something that’s interesting to me.”
According to the books, the character is described as an extremely handsome man with “tan skin” (also referred to as “golden”), “bronze-colored hair” and “incredible” sea-green eyes.
Personally, I think Jesse would be an excellent choice for Finnick. He’s tanned, has a sexy body and has beautiful eyes. This man is hot!!
And so what if he isn’t Caucasian? Maybe he’ll even shock you with his performance! And besides, Hollywood definitely needs more diversity in their films and range of actors.
If some fans had it their way, Grey’s Anatomy hunk Jesse Williams would play District Four’s Finnick Odair in Catching Fire. A lot of names have been tossed around so far, including Armie Hammer and Francis Lawrence, but a couple fans started a campaign for Williams to pay the trident slayer.
“I have heard that! I’ve seen a lot of that on Twitter,” Jesse told E Online when they asked him if he’d heard of the campaign. “I didn’t know what the heck a Finnick was when I was getting a lot of the questions about it.”
After Gary Ross stepped out of the director’s chair there was a lot of hoopla over who would take over his role. Well, they finally found a Catching Fire director in Francis Lawrence but now Odair is a big fat question mark. And the character is probably the most coveted role since Peeta himself. It seems that every young male star has been linked to the role, though I personally envisioned someone a little younger.
In the book, Odair is described as being tall, muscular and athletic with tan skin and bronze-coloured hair. Do you think Williams fits the profile?
