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Gary Ross’ THE HUNGER GAMES: Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss Everdeen

Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games

Jennifer Lawrence has landed the lead role in Gary Ross‘ adaptation of The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is the first of a trilogy of young adult science fiction books written Suzanne Collins. Jennifer Lawrence’s character is “fatherless 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th Games in place of her younger sister, Primrose. Also participating from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, a boy whom Katniss knows from school and who once saved her life by giving her bread when her family was starving…As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol, every year one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected at random and forced to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised event in which the participants, or “tributes”, must fight to the death in a dangerous outdoor arena until only one remains…The Hunger Games takes place in an unidentified future time period after the destruction of North America, in a nation known as Panem. Panem consists of a wealthy Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts. District 12, where the book begins, is located in the coal-rich region Appalachia.” An interesting storyline but I am not completely sold on it yet. Reading the book will probably be the deciding factor but when a twenty-year old plays a sixteen year old, it throws the chemistry of the narrative in the book off. If Ms. Collins had wanted her heroine to be twenty she would have written her as such, though the age decrepiancy is not as egregious as the one found by Evan Rachel Wood‘s Queen Sophie-Anne Leclerq in True Blood. With age out of the equation, Jennifer Lawrence is a fantastic choice as she is a good actress, evidenced by her performance in Winter’s Bone (written about here: Winter’s Bone Film Review). It would have been far more appropriate for The Hunger Games adaptation though if Haliee Steinfeld have been given the role. Haliee Steinfeld and Katniss Everdeen’s ages are more similar plus she is just as good an actress as Jennifer Lawrence.

Nevertheless, other high-profile young actresses, including…Saoirse Ronan, Abigail Breslin, Chloe Moretz and half-a-dozen others, were also said to be in the race, but Lawrence’s deal closed yesterday, and is thought to cover the whole trilogy: “The Hunger Games,” “Catching Fire” and “Mockingjay.”

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Lawrence’s star has been on the rise ever since “Winter’s Bone” bowed at Sundance last year, with the actress landing roles in Jodie Foster‘s “The Beaver,” Drake Doremus’ “Like Crazy” and as the younger version of Mystique in “X-Men: First Class,” but this seems like the role destined to cement her place on the A-list. The schedule is thought to still accommodate her recent casting in Oliver Stone‘s crime flick “Savages,” but will, however, presumably rule her out of rival teen bookstore favorite “The Last Apprentice,” with Jeff Bridges, which she was also linked to.

We are fans of Jennifer Lawrence, having previously posted Jennifer Lawrence Oscar 2011 Photos and Jennifer Lawrence Spirit Awards 2011 Photos. What do you think of Jennifer Lawrence being cast as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games? Have you read any of the books yet?

Source: Theplaylist

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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