UPDATE: Lionsgate has confirmed the news, in an press release that also includes the film's first synopsis. Check it out below!
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a "Victor's Tour" of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) - a competition that could change Panem forever.
It's probably not entirely fair to say fans are the reason Philip Seymour Hoffman now has a role in the upcoming Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire. But hey, after plenty of fans including me imagined Hoffman would be perfect to play Haymitch, only to see the role go to Woody Harrelson instead, you have to imagine someone at Lionsgate was listening and figuring out a way to get Hoffman on board. Now, after rumors broke about a month ago that Hoffman could be brought in to play Gamesmaker Plutarch Heavensbee, E! is reporting that he has officially signed on, with a deal completed just before the Fourth of July holiday.
For those of you who haven't read the Catching Fire book, don't be surprised if you see very, very little of Plutarch Heavensbee in the eventual movie. He's in charge of making the edition of the Hunger Games that take place during Catching Fire, but our heroine Katniss only interacts with him once, in a conversation in a ballroom that becomes very, very important later on. His role gets expanded in the third book, Mockingjay, but of course we won't get into that yet. And it's entirely possible Plutarch's role will be expanded for the movie, especially with an actor as high-profile as Hoffman playing him; after all, Wes Bentley's Seneca Crane was a tiny figure in the book, but his role was expanded in a really clever way that helped explain how the Games work. The Games at the center of Catching Fire are very different, but following Plutarch could still be a smart move.
Catching Fire is set to go into production this fall, with Francis Lawrence directing a cast that includes returning faces Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and Lenny Kravitz, and will also feature newcomers to the franchise like Jena Malone, and whoever gets cast to play Finnick. The movie is set to come out November 22, 2013.
