THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE Pursuing Armie Hammer & Garrett Hedlund for Key Role

Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, Constantine) has signed on to direct CATCHING FIRE, the sequel to THE HUNGER GAMES, based on the second in a series of books by Suzanne Collins that has 36 million copies in circulation in the US alone.

Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with Peeta Mellark. But it had been a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion.

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth will reprise their roles as Katniss, Peeta and Gale, with Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones, and Woody Harrelson also returning to their respective roles. The film will be produced by Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik.

E! News now reports that Lionsgate Entertainment is pursuing Armie Hammer (J. Edgar, The Social Network) and Garrett Hedlund (<>Tron: Legacy, On The Road) for the role of Finnick Odair in the upcoming sequel. Taylor Kitsch (John Carter, Battleship() was also named as a contender in the initial report, but has since stated that any involvement with the project is "not going to happen." Robert Pattinson (Cosmopolis, Twilight) was another name recently throw into the mix for the same role but has since denied the rumor.

Production on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is slated to begin this Fall, and the film will be released on November 22, 2013.