The Hunger Games update: Jennifer Lawrence signs; Hunter Parrish as Peeta Mellark?

And the most sought after role in Hollywood is offcially off the market. Jennifer Lawrence(Winter's Bone) has officially signed on to star in Gary Ross's adaptation of The Hunger Games. She'll be playing Katniss Everdeen(a name I'm seeing in my sleep nowadays), the 16 year old heroine from Suzanne Collins' insanely popular trilogy of novels.  Lawrence had been in contention with a "who's who" of actresses, but the final contenders ultimately boiled down to Lawrence, Abigail Breslin, Saoirse Ronan, and Hailee Steinfeld.  It was just last week that reports began surfacing that Lawrence had won the role.



Now the attention has to turn to Katniss's love interest, Peeta Mellark. So far, three contenders have emerged for the part. The first was Alex Pettyfer(I Am Number Four, Beastly), who confirmed that he had spoken with Gary Ross about it, but won't commit to anything until he sees a script. Just within the last few days, Josh Hutcherson(The Kids Are All Right) expressed his extreme desire for the role, sighting his love of the character.

Today a new contender has emerged: Hunter Parrish. E! Online reports that the actor, probably best known for his recurring role on the Showtime series, Weeds, has been in talks with producers to join the film...

Parrish: "I've met the producers." "I'd be grateful to get the opportunity. Like, really grateful. It would be amazing."
One of the major determining factors in casting The Hunger Games has been age. Ross and Co. have apparently decided to play the teenage roles a bit older. Jennifer Lawrence and Pettyfer are 20 years old. Parrish is 23. Hutcherson is only 18 and has a very youthful appearance, which might knock him out of the running.

The Hunger Games takes place in a dystopian future where the government forces each district to offer up one boy and one girl to fight to the death in an annual event.