— by CHERRY BELL DAMASCO-FARRINGTON —
After many weeks of speculation and wish list castings from fans, Lionsgate and director Frances Lawrence have officially selected their actor for Plutarch Heavensbee, who makes his appearance as the Game Maker for the 75th Hunger Games, also called the Third Quarter Quell, in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.”
Although many younger fans might not be familiar with Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Moneyball,” “Capote), he is a choice catch for the franchise. He will join Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland and Lenny Kravitz in the second installment of the franchise.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
Plutarch Heavensbee is described as the head gamemaker and oversees the day-to-day events in the 75th Hunger Games arena itself following the death of Seneca Crane, played by Wes Bentley in “The Hunger Games,” for allowing both Katniss and Peeta to win in the 74th Hunger Games. Plutarch Heavensbee starts out as a minor character in “Catching Fire” but grows into a much bigger part in “Mockingjay.”
SPOILERS OVER
Meanwhile, Jena Malone hasn’t accepted a reported offer for the role of Johanna Mason and the search for Finnick Odair continues.
Check in with us for more news on “Catching Fire,” but in the meantime, let us know what you think of the current casting choices.
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I hate to admit it but I seem to be part of the younger group of fans that is not very familiar with Hoffman. I have seen him in Moneyball but that’s the extent of my knowledge on him! If anyone has any recommendations for Hoffman movies, I’d definitely be interested him checking him out a bit more. I have the Blockbuster@Home service through my Dish account that carries tons of titles, so it won’t be a problem tracking any of his work down. A Dish coworker suggested J. Edgar to me, but that sounds a little dull for my taste. In any case, I’m sure the creators of The Hunger Games made a great decision by casting him. They haven’t made a casting decision that I disagree with yet!
@Kayla You may want to check out Almost Famous or Mission Impossible 3 when you get the chance. He was recognized for his role title role in Capote, but I personally could not even get through that movie.