#FinnickWatch2012 UPDATE: Is it Armie?

Hold on to your knickers, girls and boys, the rumor mill has just spit out a doozy.

E! News reported the other day that Taylor Kitsch, Garrett Hedlund, and Armie Hammer were on the short list to play Finnick in Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games. Multiple sources tell me that Armie Hammer is far and away the first choice of director Francis Lawrence. That if it were up to him and “if he could start tomorrow with his dream cast, Armie would be Finnick”. At press time, nothing is final. And besides, a lot of people think this might not be the best career move for Hammer anyway. I spoke with a few talent agents who said they’d hesitate before recommending it because it ties him up for two pictures and ‘the question is whether or not he still needs to “break out”. It depends on how you see Armie’s career’.

Source

 While it is exciting that he may be Lawrence's first choice, there are many factors at work that need to be considered on Armie's side that still remains to be seen. Don't get too excited, Armie fans! This is still just a rumor and nothing is official until Lionsgate confirms.

UPDATED! Real or Not Real? Finnick Fan Favorites Make it to the Final Rounds

It's quite possible that this may be more than just a rumor, but E! Online reported yesterday that Armie Hammer, Taylor Kitsch, and Garret Hedlund are the top three choices being considered for the highly coveted role of Finnick Odair. Here's what E! Online had to say:

A source tells us at that the top three names being bantered about right now are Armie Hammer, Taylor Kitsch and Garrett Hedlund.
The source also says that a final decision from the studio may be announced as early as this week.
However, another source says the studio may also be looking at unknowns à la Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise.
Filming is scheduled to begin in the fall with Francis Lawrence taking over the directing reigns from Gary Ross.
Catching Fire will be released on Nov. 22, 2013.

Read the full article HERE 

If this indeed is true, I would have to give an enormous round of applause to Lionsgate and those listening to fan choices for Finnick. Taylor Kitsch I've heard been mentioned among fans, but over the past year, at least in our experience, the battle for the role of Finnick has always been between Armie Hammer and Garret Hedlund. Both near perfect choices in my opinion, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Who knows? Maybe it's neither and Taylor Kitsch will come out on top. OR, as E! Online has reported, perhaps they really are looking for an unknown!

 UPDATED!! Zap2it is reporting that they are still auditioning for the role, and the three actors are not the only ones being considered. We figured as much, just because Lionsgate may be eyeing the three actors mentioned above, doesn't mean they aren't considering others, and like E! Online said, they are indeed considering an unknown, at least according to these two articles.

Here's what Zap2it had to say:

E! Online reports that Kitsch, Hammer and Hedlund are the names Lionsgate wants, but Zap2it's source says nobody's in the lead just yet considering talks only began on Tuesday (May 29). Actors are still reading for the role, and the studio is strongly considering bringing in an unknown to avoid ego clashes on set. It's easy to understand the mix-up -- someone probably got their hands on the confidential memo going around that reveals the three men are currently on the shortlist of dudes we'd love to marry in a fantasy dream world. (Honestly, any list with those three guys on it is a win-win-win situation.)

The scenes the actors are reportedly reading for the role include the sugar cube scene where Finnick first meets Katniss and the scene where he hears Annie's scream.

 Read the full article HERE

Well how 'bout that?! A little tidbit of new information on how exactly the Finnick auditions are going as well.

Whatever the case, if all this truly is real, my mind has exploded knowing that the studio is actually considering the actors that the fans have been clamoring for. Real or Not Real?

Finding Finnick Odair: Armie Hammer

I've decided to weigh in on the Armie Hammer for Finnick Odair debate. Finnick is such a beloved character in the series that I'm confident he will be tougher to cast than even Katniss was. Personally, I have two Finnicks in my head: Garrett Hedlund (who we might talk about later) and Armie Hammer.

Check out my thoughts and the thoughts of other fansite runners after the cut!