Update: Taylor Kitsch is out of the running, telling 24 Frames simply, it’s “not going to happen.”

Now that those silly Robert Pattinson rumors have been put to rest, those anticipating The Hunger Games: Catching Fire can start digging into… well… they can start digging into “credible” rumors. (As with most things in life, this matter hinges entirely on the adjectives.) Though this could prove to be wholly false, E! claims that Lionsgate are laying eyes on three youngsters when considering Finnick Odair, the Fire character Pattinson was never up for in the first place.

Without further ado, it may as well be said that Armie Hammer, Garrett Hedlund, and Taylor Kitsch are all having their names “bantered about” at the moment; though such a state might indicate that things aren’t close to finalized, it’s said that an actual, legitimate choice may become public knowledge before the week is out. (And it’s Wednesday!) There is the mention that an unknown may soon become a teen icon — something I’d believe, if only because they’d surely take a smaller wage than any of the aforementioned actors — but it’s only worth considering these three when deciding who might come out on top.

It’s enough that Hammer has actually been a fan favorite since before The Hunger Games even opened — this only came to my attention through some wayward Google searching — he’s also the only actor among this group who has any real mainstream attention right now. Which, I suppose, brings us to Kitsch and Hedlund; one has, twice (John Carter and Battleship), struck out when trying to make himself a star, but the other may have found some redemption with a On the Road. It might not factor into the decision made by those at the helm — and a sexually-charged Walter Salles movie isn’t going to get much in the way of, say, TV spots — but the facts surrounding all these candidates add up to something. I just don’t know what that “something” might really be.

The character of Finnick is something of an icon in the Hunger Games universe, having won the 65th annual Hunger Games at 14. Now, in his twenties, he’s competing in “the Third Quarter Quell,” which more or less sounds like their version of an old timer’s game. Now, you could, if so inclined, argue that all three are ladies men in their own right, but there’s no contest when it comes to who might be the best actor: Armie Hammer. Semi-unfortunate, then, that I’d prefer he doesn’t take the role, and instead elects to do something outside the franchise realm — don’t forget that he already has The Lone Ranger hitting in about a year. Kitsch and Hedlund could do themselves a bigger favor by taking on Finnick Odair, but it only comes down to the contracts, the schedules, and first impressions.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on November 22nd, 2013.

Who would you like to see in this part? Is it something you care about?