Fresh off speculation as to who would be portraying fan favourite Finnick Odair in the upcoming sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, it looks as if the follow-up to this year’s smash hit has its Johanna Mason in the form of Sucker Punch star Jena Malone.
Along with Odair, Mason is an eventual ally of heroine Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence in the film adaptations) and also carries the fondness of fans who will want her portrayer cast carefully. In the novel, Mason is a former victor of The Hunger Games, having reigned victorious by playing the weakling before showing her lethality with an axe.
Jena Malone certainly carries the correct, slight physicality for the role, and proved in Sucker Punch that she could be unimposing, but also scrappy and believably tough. Some of her other credits include Donnie Darko, Saved!, The Ruins and most recently, History Television’s hit series Hatfields & McCoys.
At this point, Malone has officially won the role and is currently in final contract negotiations. She will join Lawrence, along with Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Stanley Tucci.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire blazes into theaters November 22, 2013.
Source: THR
