Philip Seymour Hoffman Offered a Role in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Posted by on June 12th, 2012   Filed under: Books/Comics, Rumours, Sci-fi
Source: Deadline

After all the initial backlash that resulted from casting Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, in hindsight it seems pretty clear that Lionsgate made the right decision. Not only did the movie still make an insane amount of money at the box office, but her performance was one of the things that earned unanimous praise across the board. Even though many of the supporting cast members were much less accomplished, having an Oscar-nominated actress in the lead elevated the entire film. With that in mind, it’s not a huge surprise that Lionsgate might be looking at even more high-calibre talent for the upcoming sequels. And when I say high-calibre, I’m referring to three-time Oscar nominee and one-time Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman.

According to Deadline, Philip Seymour Hoffman has been offered a role in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The character he would play is named Plutarch Heavensbee and he becomes the Head Gamemaker in the next book, replacing Seneca Crane (played by Wes Bentley in the first film). He also has a pivotal role in the follow-up, Mockingjay.

The character’s appearance in the books is apparently rather vague, being described simply as a “large man.” PSH could probably fit that description. What’s currently unclear is whether or not Hoffman is actually interested in the part. He just finished playing Willy Loman in Mike Nichols’ Tony Award-winning version of Death Of A Salesman on Broadway, and is not actively looking for new roles. What do you think? Is Philip Seymour Hoffman be a good fit for Plutarch Heavensbee and would he actually lend his considerable talent to this franchise?



  • Joker

    Plz drop the “Oscar-nominee”-bullshit. this ain’t a not-knowing, mass media newspaper. Both you and I know Oscars ain’t worth shit, in terms of quality, or “high-caliber”, as you said it. If it was, Hoffman would for example not be a nominee, but a winner.

    Oscars aren’t worth shit, and every filmknower is aware of this fact – even those who watch it every year.

  • Great actors generally win Oscars. It’s not always the case, but I think most would agree that Jennifer Lawrence and Philip Seymour Hoffman are great actors, and there’s a certain prestige that comes with that. Which is why I find it interesting that they are starring in movies based on Young Adult novels.

  • Joker

    That they are great isn’t the point. That the Oscars usually award good actors/films is obvious, and this is the case for practically all awards. But the point here is that the Oscars is perhaps the biggest movie award in a financial scale, but certainly not as legitimate. Every filmfan knows the shit-factor of the Academy, and takes it with a grain of salt, just as it does with IMDb, RT and Metacritic ratings, unlike mass media journalists.

    So, instead of following the footsteps of ignorant and unimportant moviegoers and journalists, not to mention film covers, by applying “Oscar” as a reference point for prestige, like one applies “Olympic Champion” and “World Champion” to people in the sports world, you, knowing better, should drop it. Your not a normal househould guy, neither is your site, or its readers. Our hobby is film, and we certainly won’t be tainted by “Oscar-winner”; fuck the Oscars. P.S Hoffman is one of my favorite English-speaking actors. He doesn’t need Oscars to prove his excellence (in the same way Meryl Streep doesn’t). Instead i think “God forbid if he should win”! (which he btw did, in 2006). Because when someone wins an Oscar, he/she will join the club of actors/actresses who are haunted by the label, which supposedly proves their greatness – even to this day someone like Pacino is labeled with it, despite the fact that he should have been awarded for 15 other films before the one he had been. He already is being haunted by his nominees. The same goes for P.S Hoffman, who didn’t get shit for his performances in Magnolia, Happiness, Boogie Nights and Owning Mahowny, the films where he really shines. But thanks to the Oscars, and journalists giving it the legitimacy it doesn’t deserve, these are not the films he is remembered for.

    If you want to use a film award as a reference point for prestige, the Cannes Awards is the best place to start.

    I know there is no point arguing/bitching with you, even if you agree with me. Knowing you, discussing with the readers, you keep on comitting your “mistakes”, even after you admit them, instead of adressing the issue in future situations. I just thought to give you a notice; if I didn’t convince you, then I’m sorry i wasted your time.

  • That they are great actors *is* the point. This article had nothing to do with Oscars, it’s just evidence of the fact that they are great actors. I don’t understand what you’re complaining about.

  • Deven Science

    Take everything Joker said, and then throw it out the window.

    Everything he said has truth in it, but the bigger picture is that sites like Filmjunk are always hoping to continue expanding the readership, and that means a little bit of pandering, or spelling a few things out. If you were to cater only to us, your dedicated readers/listeners, then Filmjunk would stagnate.

    I don’t give a damn if you call out someone as a Something Award nominee/winner. You were doing it to call attention to a higher caliper of actor that the producers are looking for, and it worked just as well as anything else would have.

  • Rick

    huh…

    Well, I for one Sean would like to commend you for such a great site and article after great article. I know we don’t agree a lot, and you are far more knowledgeable when it comes to the world of film then I. I don’t know the science or the intricacies of good film making, but I do know what I like. So i always find something new I didn’t know in your articles. So thank you for that. Great website, great articles, thank you!

    That being said weather the academy is bull shit or not has nothing to do with what he said. He’s just making the point that a movie being made for the tweens are starting to higher more profile actors. And whether we like the term or agree with it, being a recipient of the Oscar puts you into that category. And you can’t get more prestigious then PS Hoffman, who btw, is also one of my favorite actors as well.

    And too answer your question any roll that PS Hoffman decides to do is made for PS Hoffman because he can do any roll. I think he’s usually not given enough credit for everything he has done. I would put him in the same category as Johnny Depp, he can play anything. He absorbs any roll and he stops being Hoffman, and becomes the character. A truly gifted actor who immerses himself in whatever roll he plays and he is simply a joy and wonder to watch on screen.

  • Button man 88

    This thread just got Rick-Roll’d.

  • rjdelight

    I didn’t even realize there was Jennifer Lawrence casting backlash for the first one. Who did the fans want? Miley Cyrus?

  • Nelson

    Phillip would be a great addition to the cast, period. These teen/youth movies may not be best of breed, but they bring in the money and that’s what a lot of the studios are concerned about. If I am an actor and I get offered a role in “Catching Fire”, I take the role, because I know that if it’s a film that caters to teens, TODAY, in a few years those former teens might remember my face, my name, and my performance from the movie and come see me in other films as adults.

  • La Menthe

    Wow, poor Joker, so many words, and seeing how specific he was, i find it sad, more than surprising, that you mnaged to completely overlook everything he sad, and repeat your position from your first post in the discussion…

    He never left the point of them being great actors, or claimed the Academy Awards as a major part of the article (he just nitpicks it out of the article, which i guess is the only way to make a discussion out of it, considering the lack of a forum…), but only that using the Oscars as evidence didn’t prove, as it, in his opinion (and certainly mine and many others as well), was not a legitimate reference point for “greatness” in the film industry. In other words: the Oscars is shit, and associating it with a good actor in the attempt to prove his “greatness” doesn’t work, and kind off falls on itself, as the Academy is not regarded highly by the film-community.

    I guess i should answer Devine’s post too, seeing how he unprovokedly attacks his post and, in the course of it, misundertands him as well:

    He is not demanding him to give the readers what they want, but asks him to take note that this is a film-site, for people interested in film. In other words, the kind of filmatic preferences that exist here are more specific than in an average post about film made by, say, Washington Post. And one of the differences of daily newspapers and film sites like FilmJunk is that the one is targeting everyone, and the other everyone witih interest in film. And he makes the claim, of which i myself am a part of, that the film world doesn’t take note of the Oscars and it’s credibility that much, certainly not in the way newspapers like Washington Post do, in using it as an anchor for “greatness”. Therefore, Sean should not repeat the viewpoint of a daily newspaper in his objective standpoint, but mirror that of a casual moviegoer.

    That being said, many moviegoers seem to care about the Oscars, but in my personal experience the majority of these are normal people and casual viewers, and not people who are specifically interested in films.

  • patrik

    I don’t really get what Joker (apt name) is complaining about either.. Wether you care or not, they are Oscar nominated actors and some people do care. Maybe not most of the filmjunk readers but wtf.. To throw a fit over it on a comment section? You’re arguing that you want you’re favorite actors to lose out on awards cause there are better awards out there?

    Most people wouldn’t be the least bit interested in the movies you spouted off and people outside of the “film fan community” are not gonna remember Hoffman.. But maybe being an Oscar winner can give a little more exposure. I don’t see how that’s bad.

  • Rick

    lmao you got that right button!