With Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth installed in the main roles in The Hunger Games, the rest of the cast is now coming together, with Variety reporting that Elizabeth Banks has signed up for the film, while EW announced that Dayo Okeniyi and Amandla Stenberg will also star.
Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of either the last two, as according to EW, ‘Okeniyi has appeared in a short called Eyes to See and an upcoming horror film, Slew Hampshire. Stenberg has roles in the Septembers Colombiana and the telefilm Taste of Romance.’ So it’s fair to say they’re not household names.
They do add a bit to the racial mix of The Hunger Games (Okeniyi is black, while Stenberg is mixed race), as the film has already attracted some negative attention for casting the very white Lawrence, Hutcherson and Hemsworth in roles desribed as bi-racial in the book the film will be based on. The producers will be hoping the new cast members will prove they’re not creating some sort of aryan version of the novel.
The Hunger Games is set in a future America which is divided into 12 poor districts that serve a wealthy Capitol territory. Once a year, each district submits a girl and boy as tributes to participate in life-or-death games. 16-year old Katniss (although it looks like they’re slightly upping the age for the films, as Jennifer Lawrence is 20) is a girl who volunteers to take the place of her sister. Hutcherson is playing Peeta, a boy from Katniss’ town who is also selected for the games and who, during the opening ceremony, reveals his unrequited love for her. Hemsworth will be Gale, who teaches Katniss the way of the hunter and plays a bigger role in the subsequent trilogy.
So who will the new additions play? Well Okeniyi and Stenberg will be Thresh and Rue, the “tributes” from District 11, who are also part of the games. Banks meanwhile will be Effie Trinket, a rather prime and proper chaperone for the 12th District, which is where the main characters come from.
Gary Ross will direct the film, which is currently set for a March 2012 release.