My Hunger Games Cast Countdown – Francis Lawrence
Welcome to Cast Countdown with Hamilton. As we get the casting announcements, I will be regularly introducing the members of the Catching Fire cast and discussing what it is that they will be bringing to the film. Fair warning, just in case you have not yet read the book, there may be Hunger Games spoilers here.
This is a special edition of Cast Countdown, and one I had not originally anticipated writing: Director of Catching Fire. With Gary Ross out of the picture, supposedly due to scheduling issues, the job has officially been taken over by Francis Lawrence. Who? With names like Alfonso Cuarón being thrown out there, Lawrence is certainly a less familiar director – and his name is bound to make for some confusion / punny headlines as everyone will undoubtedly point out that he and Jennifer Lawrence are not related. Despite his appearance, he is not related to Bradley Cooper either.
Francis Lawrence – Catching Fire Director
About Francis Lawrence: Like fellow film director, Michael Bay, Lawrence got his start in directing music videos – with many big names to his credit including The Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne, P.O.D, Aerosmith, and Janet Jackson, along with a slew of others, recently directing the video for Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance. (Which means he has experience filming outlandish styles at least!) He only got started with film directing relatively recently with 2005′s Constantine. He followed that up with I am Legend and then Water for Elephants, all of which are also film adaptations of written work. He also has some television experience, directing three episodes of Kings, and is producing the Kiefer Sutherland sci-fi drama Touch. His made-for-TV movie, Gotham, that takes place in a magical New York City, is currently being wrapped up. That’s Lawrence’s career in a nutshell.
While there were plenty of other interesting names on Lionsgate’s and fans’ wish lists, many of them were obviously not going to happen either because the director’s were too busy, too expensive, or just not interested. Lawrence has a clean plate in front of him and as a “smaller” name, should not cost Lionsgate a huge amount. He’s also not someone who probably has the clout to insist things be done his way and with taking over a franchise that will make things easier for the studio.
Gary Ross did a fantastic job of making a film that was both faithful to the source as well as something that most non-fans and critics enjoyed as well. That said, there is always room for improvement and we can only hope that fresh blood and a new perspective can bring that extra factor to the world Ross built already and take it to the next level in Catching Fire. Is Lawrence the person to do that?
Of his three feature films, I have seen two of them and I am split 50/50 on them. Constantine I barely remember other than I thought it was very poorly done. Casting, however, was a big part of that. I personally think Keannu Reeves is overrated, but was still very much the wrong choice for the role. I do remember that visually, at least, the film was pretty interesting, so there is that. I am Legend, however, is one of my favorites – a fantastic film and one of Will Smith’s best.
Though I have not read the original source material of any his films, a little searching reveals that the movies are all very different than the books on which they were based. However, Lawrence has zero writing credits to his name, so likely did not have much to do with those changes. Again, though, he has zero writing credits to his name. Gary Ross was very involved in the script for The Hunger Games and Simon Beaufoy‘s Catching Fire script still needs work – the fact that Ross didn’t have the time he wanted (two months) to work on the script and not feel rushed was one of the reasons given for his departure after all. Will Lawrence take a first time stab at screenwriting with this one or will it be sourced out to someone else to polish? Too many hands in the script is notorious for creating disasters in Hollywood so hopefully this doesn’t turn into one of those where the script is handed off from one person to another multiple times, losing cohesion. It may mean that Suzanne Collins ends up with a more prominent roll in the script process and that can’t be a bad thing.
Lawrence has some television experience which could be helpful in dealing with the compressed time frame Catching Fire is on now, so that’s a positive. He also has experience with filming action sequences with lots of special effects – s0mething which some people were critical of in Ross’s direction of The Hunger Games, specifically in regards to the close-up “shakycam” action. Lawrence may bring a more refined and experienced action hand to the table.
Looking at my favorite of his films, I am Legend, it is another post apocalyptic story focusing on a central character. In fact, it is when only Smith is on screen that the movie really excels. The introduction of other characters later on makes the film feel a little disjointed. If Lawrence can capture that same thing and transfer it to Jennifer (see, this is where names get confusing) it could work. Even though there is a large assortment of people around her, Katniss increasingly feels like one of the only people left on earth and starts to go a bit crazy, especially moving onto Mockingjay.
Overall, Lawrence is probably a safe bet, though perhaps not an especially inspired choice. Then again, I thought the same about Gary Ross. He seems excited, but then again, who wouldn’t be? I’ll reserve judgement until I see some footage, and that’s still a long way off, but I can’t imagine Lionsgate made this choice lightly so there must be something about Lawrence (besides his name) that said “Hunger Games” to them.
Francis Lawrence on IMDB
Francis Lawrence on Wikipedia
Related posts:
- My Hunger Games Cast Countdown – Jennifer Lawrence
- What Might Francis Lawrence Change in Catching Fire?
- PHOTOS: Jennifer Lawrence and Francis Lawrence Meet Up
- Why Francis Lawrence is a Great Choice to Direct ‘Catching Fire’
- CONFIRMED: Francis Lawrence will be Directing ‘Catching Fire’
Category: Cast Countdown, Catching Fire, Movie
We (His fans) Want Nick Roux (from Jane By Design) To Be Finnick Odair! Sure he looks Young, but that is because he plays a high school student! We know he can change his image enough to fit the part! We also Think He is Perfect just the way he is! Francis Lawrence, Please give Nick a chance to Audition! Nick Really Wants it too! http://www.facebook.com/NickRoux1 @therealnickroux Thanks!
He is too skinny to be Finnick! F
ok sorry but eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww nnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
you dont have to be so mean to him he is very attractive and he may not be what you thought finnick looked like and hes not what i thought but that was my same oppinion of jennifer lawrence and now she is my by FAR favourite actress ever!!!!!!! so why dont you give him a try i bet he’ll be amazing!!
We (the fans) do not want Nick Roux (JAne by Design) we want Alex Pettyfer. Trust me Lisa I dopubt Francise Lawrence will even go on this site anyways to telling him Nick’s facebook and twitter account is pointless.
Don’t be so rude… She’s just speaking from what us Nick fans have been saying… Yeah some may want Alex Petyfer but some also want Nick Roux to play Finnick… Now let’s be nice here…
We (the fans) Want Nick Roux as Finnick Odair in Catching Fire. We believe he has the looks personality and much more that makes him fit for the role of Finnick. This is also a part that Nick see’s himself playing when he reads about Finnick in the books. I hope he is considered for this role.
He’s nice, but personally he seriously doesn’t resemble Finnick AT ALL for me. I imagined Finnick completely different from him, unfortunately for you.
I agree with you! Nick Roux doesn’t look like Finnick at all!! I hope they choose someone who does!!! pleasee
love Finnick!
From Venezuela;)
“I can’t imagine Lionsgate made this choice lightly so there must be something about Lawrence (besides his name) that said “Hunger Games” to them”
That pretty much says it. Lionsgate has a gold mine in its hands with The Hunger Games and won’t risk it with a bad choice.
And that includes the script. And well, Twilight movies are not the best example of great performances and great adaptations and look at them, they were box-office hits. Not that I compare one series with the other, but well, Lionsgate acquired Summit Entertainment, so there it is.
google image hunter parrish!doesn’t he fit finnick!?
Hunter Parrish would be awesome! Though Alex Pettyfer would be a great choice too. Not so sure about Nick Roux…
“I am Legend” was on TV last week end. After seeing it again with ‘Catching’ in mind, I am sure Francise Lawrence will do a great job. Very likely even better than Ross did. It was beautifully filmed and very moving even w/out much dialogue. He makes the CGI elements of the movie look totally real and very scary. There are ‘zombie dogs’ in it that look a lot like what the ‘mutts’ in THGames should have looked like. I really liked “Constantine” too!
No one liked when Jennifer Lawrence was cast. Same thing goes for krissa Bradshaw who has been cast as Johanna Mason. We’ll just have to wait and see how it turns out.
WHAT?? They cast Johanna Mason already?!
It looks like it…I think Krissa is a pretty good choice. She’s not exactly how I pictured Johanna to be but I think/just hope it comes out well
Yeah, since I saw it I have been googleing her.. She was far from what I had been expecting Johanna to be, but I guess that if they chose her she must be the right one..
They haven’t cast her yet -_-
I don’t think they’ve quite cast her yet. The casting site is still looking for a Johanna.
I am skeptical about the truth of this casting news. I cannot find any major entertainment news outlet or other fansite that has this information and there is next to nothing about this actress (no iMDB page or anything). I wouldn’t mind if the cast a relatively unknown actress, but Johanna is a pretty meaty part so I’d like to see someone with at least a little experience in the role.
Apparently some are saying Nina Jacobsen announced it on her blog and the post was taken down – I think news outlets would have at least picked up on the rumour even if the post was taken down.
True… Maybe we are totally wrong (?). I agree that it should be someone with at least a little experience, but again: if they really chose her, she must be the perfect fit, right? At least I trust them to do the right choises..
We’ve heard this rumor as well but have not found anything to substantiate it other than one person claiming to have seen Nina Jacobson’s tweet and blog post before it was taken down. Until we hear something from Lionsgate, this seems very unlikely.
Nobody wants to face the truth. But the girl is Johanna Mason. Get over it.
I know this is an old post, but I am pretty sure this girl is NOT Johanna. Especially since Jena Malone and Zoe Aggeliki have auditioned, and it looks like they are leaning towards Zoe.
It’s not that I (or others) don’t want to face the truth, it’s just that we don’t know for sure that this is actually true. Most people did not see the alleged tweet/blog post, and there are no screen shots of it floating around. It’s kind of hard to believe when there is no proof other than the word of a handful of people who claim they saw it. And I have yet to find any links to Nina Jacobson’s official blog or twitter where this news was allegedly posted.
Until we hear something official from Lionsgate or any reputable entertainment news outlet, we have every right to be a bit hesitant in accepting this news as 100% fact. If she is indeed Johanna, then I am sure we all wish her well and look forward to seeing what a newcomer will do with the role.
Jesse Williams is the best choice for the role of finnick, despite his race he is a talented actor & fits the characteristic’s of FINNICK perfectly .
We (the fans) want Betty White to play Mags! She’s just so cute and tiny!! She’s exactly how I pictured Mags.
P.S. I want Garret Hedlund to play Finnick
Hmmm,
I’m very skeptical on Francis Lawrence.
Searching him up on Google, looking at his work and such..and I’m starting to feel a little better that has some work with ‘special effects’ etc. And Lionsgate is not just chosen him cause he’s “cheap”.. /: but the movie is 562 days away (yes I’ve been counting, lol) the movie itself better be danggggg good.. nuff said!
But I agree, that I will reserve MY judgement until I see some footage as well. (wont be for quite a while…)
Anyway, I think Garrett Hedlund would be a pretty decent choice as Finnick. He’s defiantly got the looks. Now what about the acting-skills?
OOPS POSTED MY COMMENT ON THE WRONG TAB!^^^
WHO IS KRISSA BRADSHAW
No one really knows. Some claim she has been cast as Johanna, but up until a few days ago, there was almost no info on her at all other than a few people saying Nina Jacobson announced Krissa was cast and then later took the announcement down. There is now an IMDb page with her name, but no credits or other info. It’s possible that she was cast, but until there is something official announced, we don’t know for sure.
If she was indeed cast, let’s hope she has the talent to pull it off.
For consideration:
Ryan McPartlin for Finnick Odair in Catching Fire. Aside from his appearances, he has the ability to play the role of Finnick who proves deceptively subtle in character. Finnick demonstrates that beneath his superficial victor’s persona he has surprising depth of feeling and conviction carefully hidden from the Capitol’s view. While his role in Chuck was relatively minor and did not offer much range for his acting skills, he exudes a wholesomeness and likability absent from so many young male actors in Hollywood today. McPartlin is also the right age and is not so well known as to carry baggage onto the screen.
Respectfully Submitted,
DR
Dear Fans,
I love all of you but so many recommendations for BOYS to play Finnick…I’m NOT suggesting old men like Alan Rickman or Liam Neeson to play him, but his wisdom, experiences, build, gutsyness, I think choosing a Zac Effron or Alex Pettyfer is not a good suggestion, I don’t think anyone under 25 should play him.
No disrespect meant at all, but why not? After all, Finnick won the games at 14, and Catching Fire takes places 10 years later, when he’s 24. Obviously no one wants him looking like he’s 16, but I think there’s nothing wrong with a young adult playing him.
Not happy. I thought Gary was an epic director. He did a wonderful job.
No I’m not criticizing Francis, I’m excited to see his work. The only thing he has hope for is he doesn’t screw up. If he does… I’ll be severely disappointed.
I won’t start being mean until i see the real deal.
So on so forth, good luck, Francis Lawerance. You’ll need it :’3
I wasn’t satisfied with Gary’s movie. It could have been so much more.
This story has insane potential and I’ve been praying for something mind-blowingly awesome.
I want cruel games, devastating war, deep love, true characters…moments that define your perception of reality.
So far, it’s been fun but not nearly enough. I was left hungry.
Finnick is my favourite character it has to be played by Alex Pettyfer!!
I just saw the casting list for most of the hunger games characters and i was so confussed, how can jena malone play johanna mason?!?! she does not fit her at all! I think that mila jovovich fits her perfectly see for yourself google pics of her, i promise you’ll love her!I also noticed that some siko looking guy is going to play finnick i think armie hammer should play him if you google pics of finnick you’ll find a hottie who looks just like finnick. jus’ sayin’ but if they keep casting the wrong people for the wrong characters I WON’T SEE THE MOVIE AND NEITHER WILL MY FAMILY OR FRIENDS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so ya
Only problem is Milla Jovovich is far too old for Johanna. Johanna is only in her early 20s while Milla is 36.
In my opinion, it’s kind of a dumb idea to boycott a movie just because you don’t like the casting choices. Give these actors a chance – they may just surprise you.
I am sorry if ofended you but i was one of the people who was really excited to see the hunger games in the theaters and was REALLY disapointed afer i saw it. my friends had to convince me constantly that their wasn’t a hunger games part 2 containing all the stuff left out. i just don’t want to get all excited for nothing again.so i am sorry, but i hope you can see my point of view too.I mean have you seen the cast people, most of them dont fit at all.I thought mila jovovich seemed good because she fit the look completly .i know she’s sort of old, it’s just all the other girls casting for her are like 16 or just plain not her.I think if they cad a contest or gave fans more of a oppinion for the casting the movie could go far.
Not offended at all.
If Milla was a bit younger, I think she wouldn’t be a bad choice. I am not sure to whom you are refering when you say all the girls casting for Johanna are like 16. Jena Malone is 27. I know it’s disappointing when a character doesn’t end up like you have pictured them, but I urge you to give them a chance – you may end up liking them in the end. Most people didn’t think Jennifer Lawrence would be good as Katniss, but she did a wonderful job.
I am sorry you were disappointed in the first film, and I do understand. There were some things left out that I was a little sad about too. However, you have to recognize that it is an adaptation of the book, not an exact replica of the book. Some things are going to be different/left out. I think overall they were successful in making a film that stayed relatively faithful to the source material. There were some things that could have been different, but I still think it was a decent film.
Just my opinion. I understand where you are coming from though. I know some fans were very disappointed in the film. Perhaps I enjoyed it so much because I didn’t have these huge expectations. I was pleasantly surprised.
Look here hon, there ain’t nothing u can do I was really bummed bout the movie tOo but just think do u think the directors even care about our opinion?? No they don’t and they never will. So get over it they will continue casting awful people for the part no matter what I mean if they did they would send out some contest saying who their considering and give US the chance to vote. so not to be mean but just don’t see the movie if ur that mad. Cuz I don’t think anyone here even cares or listens to ur whining. SO JUST GET LOST and let the TRUE Fans Speak ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:(:-[:-[:-[:-[●■
I also wanted to say amanda plummer as wiress not uh not a good one at all i think that astrid berges-frisbey should play annie cresta don’t you
i feel really sad that they are casting people how are too old or young to play the roles of characters.epecially for wiress and beatee, cause they’re supposed to be ashen-skined[meaning dark not white] no offense.
Um, the guy who plays Beetee is dark skinned, so I am not sure why you would have an issue with that if you believe ashen means dark skinned.
However, ashen does not necessarily mean dark skinned. It means pale or greyish, so almost anyone could be cast regardless of skin color. Makeup can be used to make the characters look the part. Sure, some of the ages may be a little off, but honestly, I’d rather have someone who can act than someone who can’t act but fits the physical description. I’m sure the film will turn out fine. Alot of people were skeptical about Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss because she wasn’t the right age or the right look, but she did a fantastic job.
not only that they keep messing up the casting for finnick
I agree I think the hunger games movie could’ve been a LOT Better and the catching fire cast is a bit screwed but what will it do the don’t pay attention to fans so……
Look here hon, there ain’t nothing u can do I was really bummed bout the movie tOo but just think do u think the directors even care about our opinion?? No they don’t and they never will. So get over it they will continue casting awful people for the part no matter what I mean if they did they would send out some contest saying who their considering and give US the chance to vote. so not to be mean but just don’t see the movie if ur that mad. Cuz I don’t think anyone here even cares or listens to ur whining. SO JUST GET LOST and let the TRUE Fans Speak ok!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:(:-[:-[:-[:-[●■
By da way I’m addressing hunger games lover 11