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PANEM - With blockbusters like "The Avengers," "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Dark Knight Rises" dominating movie news there's a film that it seems we've forgotten about, "The Hunger Games."
Games wrangled in more than $400 million at the domestic box office and enjoyed a few weeks at number one. Christopher Nolan's new Batman film is all anyone can talk about, but today we're going to change gears a little.
A release date for the Blu-Ray and DVD of "The Hunger Games" has been announced and it's also been revealed there will be three hours of behind the scenes footage on the special features. A new trailer promoting the discs is floating around the web and the Blu-Ray/DVD will hit stores and digital download August 18.
The big news coming out of Hunger Games land is that the role of head gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee has been cast. Oscar-winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman will take on the role. According to the description in the book and the acting chops it will take to pull off the character, Hoffman seems like a fine choice.
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Now that the Heavensbee role has been filled it's time to start speculating who will fill other key roles in "Catching Fire" like: Gloss and Cashmere, Brutus and Enobaria and of course Finnick Odair.
Rumors about who will play Finnick have been flying around for months and today we're going to give you a few choices of who we think would be a good fit.
Zac Efron's name has been thrown around a lot by fans, but we're leaving him off of this list because while he fits the look, he doesn't fit the age. Finnick is supposed to be several years older than Katniss, Peeta and Gale and the 25-year-old Efron looks more like Gale's little brother than an over-powering mature heart throb.
The other name tossed around we are leaving out is Taylor Kitsch. Kitsch headlined the box office bombs "John Carter" and "Battleship" this year. While he seems to fit the mold, Kitsch himself said he is out of the running.
With that said, here's a list of five actors we think could play a convincing Finnick.
Reynolds has a demanding presence and a quick wit, both attributes of the tribute from District 4. Reynolds has proven he can do action, just look at "Safe House," "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," or "Blade: Trinity." Please do not look at "Green Lantern."
Reynolds would bring solid star power to the film, but that may be exactly what keeps him from the role. Finnick is not the lead in the film and someone with Reynolds' resume may not want to take a supporting role at this point of his career.
Hedlund starred in Disney's "TRON: Legacy" and has been a candidate for the Finnick role. Hedlund pulls off the look and has the acting prowess to make us care about him, but one thing he seems to be missing is the charm and humor Finnick carries. However, it is a dry narcissistic humor, so it's possible Hedlund could make it work.
The TV star is seeing more and more time on the big screen and this could shoot him into super stardom. Bomer has the wit and the build to portray the trident throwing fisherman for "Catching Fire."
Bomer would be an out of the box choice, but a solid one none the less.
Since "The Social Network" Armie Hammer has been working non-stop. Hammer has been one of the front runners for the role and it makes sense. He's big, physical, handsome, and witty and on top of all that, he can act.
Just take another look at "The Social Network" and realize that Hammer played both of the Winklevoss brothers. Another actor, Josh Pence, did all the body acting for Tyler Winklevoss, but it was Hammer's facial expressions and timing for both twins.
An Unknown Actor
Finnick Odair is the role of a lifetime for an up and coming actor. It could be a blast watching a new face in a film as big as "Catching Fire" and take on a role that everyone has been speculating over. Just because the actor is unknown doesn't mean he doesn't have talent. Every star at some point was an unknown.
Who would you like to see take on the role of Finnick Odair? Are any of these choices right or is there someone else you're thinking of? Let us know on the comment boards and on Facebook.
