Producer Nina Jacobson says casting for Finnick is still wide open

Catching Fire producer Nina Jacobson spoke to 24 Frames of the LA Times at the MTV Movie Awards and says the casting for Finnick Odair is still wide open.

Amid a frenzy of rumors surrounding his possible role in the next installment of “The Hunger Games,” Taylor Kitsch last week told us he won’t be playing the attractive Finnick Odair in “Catching Fire.”

Finnick, who shows up for the first time in “Catching Fire,” is described by author Suzanne Collins as a handsome 24-year-old womanizer who excels at athletic pursuits. According to E! News, other actors still up for the part include Garrett Hedlund and Armie Hammer. But a producer of the sequel says even those whispers are “so not true.”

“That’s the thing that’s crazy — people are like way ahead of where we are,” Nina Jacobson told us on the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday. “We’ve not narrowed things down by any means. It’s funny to see how things can take on a life of their own.”

But are the filmmakers taking fan input into account while seeking out their Finnick? Not entirely, says Jacobson.

“It means something that people can see [an actor] in that light, so you know [the actor] will be accepted by a lot of people, on the one hand,” she said. “On the other hand, you have to kind of ignore it. You have to just sort of act like you’re sitting in a room and you want to just pick the person who gives the best audition and looks and feels most like the part.”

I have no preference as to whom will play Finnick.  I just want whomever it is to do the best job they can and bring Finnick to life on screen.  Everyone was up in arms with Jennifer and Josh when they were first cast, and after their performance in The Hunger Games.. I think it shushed those few up quickly.  So, I trust Nina, director Frances Lawrence and author Suzanne Collins will give us the perfect Finnick.  Like Nina said, “the person who gives the best audition and looks and feels most like the part”  The person can look like Finnick, but to play him is a different story.

But I would really like to know who is playing Finnick really soon.

[source: 24Frames via HollywoodCrush.  Finnick illustration Margarita Zhirkova]

Category: Catching Fire, Finnick Odair, Hunger Games News, Nina Jacobson