[Movies] Garrett Hedlund Turned Down Catching Fire Role
Posted by Joseph Lee on 09.13.2012
He was up for Finnick...
Ace Showbiz reports that Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) was up for the role of Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire but he turned it down. Sam Claflin (Snow White and the Huntsman) eventually took the role.
Hedlund said to MTV News while promoting his film On the Road at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival: "They did [approach me]. I was working on this film ['On the Road'] at that time. We shot the whole film in 23 days and I was really immersed in it. I couldn't get around [to reading the 'Hunger Games' novels]. Everybody around me is flipping out about the books, and I didn't really have the time to sit down lately to read any book, not just 'Hunger Games'. But I've got a couple [projects] on my plate that I'm looking forward to reading now."
The rumor that Hedlund was up for the role started in May, when a source told E! News that Hedlund, Taylor Kitsch and Armie Hammer were Lionsgate's choices for the part. Producer Nina Jacobson denied this.
She told the Los Angeles Times: "That's the thing that's crazy - people are like way ahead of where we are. We've not narrowed things down by any means. It's funny to see how things can take on a life of their own."
The film began shooting in Atlanta on Monday. It will also star Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth as Katniss, Peeta and Gale respectively. The sequel will be released on November 22, 2013.
