Lionsgate’s Hunger Games franchise isn’t wont for Oscar-caliber talents in its ensemble. Katniss Everdeen, herself – Jennifer Lawrence – picked up her first gold statue early this year for her work in David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook. That puts her in the respected company of her Hunger Games co-stars Philip Seymour Hoffman (winner), Woody Harrelson (nominee) and Stanley Tucci (nominee). And if the cards fall as expected, the series will add a four-time Oscar nominee in Julianne Moore to its ranks … and soon.
Moore is being courted for the key role of President Alma Coin in Lionsgate’s two-part adaptation of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, according to Deadline. As we reported yesterday, the site mentions that the studio plans to bring its Hunger Games sideshow to San Diego Comic-Con in July, and you can imagine that the roof of Hall H might blow off if the President’s revealed on stage – especially if they're able to get an actress of Moore’s reputation and talent to commit to the part. Could it possibly look something like this (amplified by 100,000)?
Or better yet, this?!
Who is President Coin? The official Hunger Games Wiki explains that she is the head of District 13 and comes to Katniss’ aid during the 75th Hunger Games. They later become adversaries, though I will leave it to you to discover how and why. Read the books before you see the movies. There’s a good reason why Suzanne Collins’ source material flew off of shelves and inspired this lucrative film franchise.
Adding Moore to any series instantly improves the quality. She’s an excellent choice to play Coin, if not only because she’s an excellent choice to play any character in any film. But I want to hear from rabid Hunger Games fans who have read all of Collins’ novels. You likely didn’t picture Moore while reading the books, but now that her name is being batted around for the part, can you see it happening? Is she the right choice?
Mockingjay will be divided into two parts, and will arrive in theaters on November 21, 2014 and November 20, 2015, respectively. Not that fans must wait that long for the next Hunger Games chapters, as Catching Fire will be in theaters on November 22nd.
