Since the blinding success of the first film in the trilogy, it has been an all-out rumour war surrounding THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE. Nearly every week another actor has been listed as ‘in the running’ or ‘has secured a character’ in the second film. Today is no exception – reports are surfacing that Jena Malone is in the running to play slick and sly tribute Johanna Mason.
As described in Suzanne Collins’ novel, Mason is a determined, hard-willed tribute who pretends to be weak and unwilling, only to turn on her opponents and goes in for the kill. Malone has previously featured in DONNIE DARKO, THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and 2011’s SUCKER PUNCH, giving her a great mix of roles and experiences. Having seen what Jennifer Lawrence can do as Katniss Everdeen, I’m sure Malone wouldn’t disappoint if she accepted the role.
Now it’s just down to CATCHING FIRE’s director, Francis Lawrence (I AM LEGEND), to decide if he wants to keep or rework the opening scene – where Johanna first meets Katniss…naked. We’ll have to wait and see.
CATCHING FIRE, directed by Francis Lawrence, is currently in pre-production.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
