It's not often that Jena Malone dabbles in the world of mainstream movies. One of the original "manic pixie" dreamgirls, she's mostly stuck close to her indie roots, although last year she made a disastrous move by starring in Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch. While devoted fans of her work like yours truly eagerly await her Carson McCullers biopic, Malone is being considered for the Johanna Mason role in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
EW has the news, and they state that Malone is being mentioned for the part, while the recent reports of Mia Wasikowska being considered were untrue, as her schedule wouldn't allow it anyway. So that would leave Malone and model Zoe Aggeliki to play the District 7 victor, who gets corralled into the 75th Hunger Games as part of the Capitol's quest for vengeance. Mason is a tough, sarcastic fighter who initially comes at odds with Katniss(Jennifer Lawrence), but the two eventually end up as staunch allies. Even though I had problems with Wasikowska for the part, Malone actually makes a lot of sense to me. Mason's thing is that she looks weak, but is really a vicious killer. Malone has the innocent look down pat, and we've seen her get tough on more than one occasion. I like it.
In the strangest Catching Fire news of the day, Romeo Miller aka Lil Romeo, has admitted to MTV that he's met with producers about a role in one of the Hunger Games movies, but he ain't telling us who he'd be....
Miller: "I actually just met with Lionsgate about that, so you may be seeing me in one of the 'Hunger Games.' That's all I'm saying. Not a particular role, we just had a meeting, seeing if it was something I was interested in. I can't really talk too much, or they'll kill me. You know how 'The Hunger Games' is."
He doesn't exactly say whether or not he got the part, but assuming he did, who would he play? The 75th Hunger Games brings back many of the past victors, so it's made up mostly of older people. But he could possibly play Gloss, a victor from District 1 who is entered into the battle alongside his sister, Cashmere. It's an idea, otherwise the only character I can think of is Boggs, who is a much bigger factor in Mockingjay.
Lastly, Magic Mike co-star and ex-WWE/WCW World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Nash told USA Today that he's up for a role as well. And true to Nash form, he's mostly concerned about the steady paycheck....
Nash: "I just pray it's recurring, that he doesn't get killed."
Speculation has been that he'd take on the role of Brutus, a past Hunger Games victor who appears to be in his 40s, and jumps at the chance to volunteer for the new round of fighting. It certainly sounds like something that would be well in Nash's range, so don't be surprised if he walks away with it. Or should I say "limps" away with it, as the guy has had something like a million knee surgeries after his wrestling career and is stiff as a corpse. Watch him in the background during Magic Mike and see what I mean.
Some decisions are going to have to be made soon on a number of characters, so expect to hear a lot more in the coming days.
