Harrelson Gets Drunk For Hunger Games

For a while there, it looked like John C Reilly might be playing Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games. Yet despite the casting rumours, Reilly’s people were quick to deny it, and now Woody Harrelson has emerged victorious%7B =nofollow%7D){href='http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/woody-harrelson-cast-as-haymitch-187194?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+THRComicCon+(The+Hollywood+Reporter+-+Heat+Vision)%7B =nofollow%7D' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'} as the man to play the drunken Games survivor in Gary Ross’ film.

Despite his perpetually sozzled state, Haymitch is famous in District 12 for being the champion of the 50th Games, more than 10 years before heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) was born. He ends up as her mentor when she opts to enter the event in place of her sister.

Harrelson’s just the latest in a rush of recent casting announcements, which have included newcomers Jeremy Marinas and Dakota Hood as the tributes who’ll play the Games for District 10 and Stanley Tucci, who will be Caesar Flickerman, the smarmy TV host of the death match.

They join the likes of Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth and Wes Bentley in the film, which will start shooting later this month, aiming at a March 23, 2012 release date.