Have They Miscast The Hunger Games?

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen (Lionsgate)

Warning spoilers and persnickety comments below:

Admittedly, I'm being a shallow fan-girl.  Please feel free to call me on it.  It's just my opinion.

The popular novel The Hunger Games was destined to be a movie.  Written by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games is a young adult science fiction book about the brutal and post-apocalyptic world of 16-year old Katniss Everdeen.  Think, The Running Man meets The Most Dangerous Game with teenagers.

Jennifer Lawrence in X-Men: First Class

Now for the matter at hand, has Jennifer Lawrence been miscast in this role?  20-year old Jennifer Lawrence is best known for her roles in X-Men: First Class and in her Oscar-nominated role, Winter's Bone.  So there's no doubt that Jennifer is a super-talented glamazon.  As such, she's a natural fit for most roles, but has she been miscast as the starving, yet strong, Katniss Everdeen? 

I don't care about hair color as that can be easily changed, but the novel depicts Katniss with a much smaller frame, as the people of her district are not well-fed and are frequently near starvation.  Even though Katniss is an avid hunter, she is no stranger to hunger.  On the other hand, the career tributes (Katniss' other opponents in the Hunger Games) are well-fed, athletic, and tall, very similar to Jennifer.  The whole point of the novel was that there was this stark difference in health and livelihood in the different districts.  Jennifer is absolutely stunning and healthy in every way, but is she right for the role of the diminutive Katniss Everdeen? 

Josh Hutcherson as Peeta

Likewise, have Josh Hutcherson (Peeta) and Liam Hemsworth (Gale) been miscast?  Liam is well over six feet tall, similar to the other Hemsworth brothers.  Liam's most famous brother is Chris Hemsworth, best known for his role as Thor.   Josh is a respectable 5'-7", which is fine.  Five-feet seven inches is the height of the average American male, but should there be this much of a physical difference between the characters?  Also, as a baker's son, Peeta was well-built and well-fed.  Personally, I think Jennifer's X-Men co-star, Nicholas Hoult (see below) would have been a much better choice for Peeta. 

Liam Hemsworth as Gale (left) next to Chris Hemsworth

Nicholas Hoult would have made a great Peeta

Overall I'm still looking forward to this movie, but I really hope they don't Twilight-it-up.  No more Edward versus Jacob tomfoolery.  Please...please...please, don't mess w/ the game.  The Hunger Games is currently being filmed in the mountains of North Carolina and will hit theaters March 23, 2012. 

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In case you haven't heard of it, The Hunger Games was originally released in 2008 and is about the annual event called the Hunger Games.  Yes, this story has been done before, but the reason The Hunger Games is unique is because it involves children between the ages of 12 to 18.  Despite being a young adult book, it's exceptional and recommended for all ages. 

The Hunger Games were created by the cruel rulers in the Capitol called Panem.  Panem rules the other 12 districts with an iron hand and demands that the districts send them two tributes: one boy and one girl.  Tributes from each district are then thrown into some form of nature preserve in which they are required to fight to the death.  The Capitol is also able to control things in the preserve like weather.  The games are of course televised for their own viewing pleasure.