Although a recent casting rumor pertaining to Catching Fire may not have panned out as expected, the mill churns on and on with no signs of overheating. Next up in this too-long line of speculation, ThePlaylist have heard that Mia Wasikowska and Zoe Aggeliki (of the upcoming Maniac and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters) are top choices to play the character of Johanna Mason.

A District 7 native with very little to show of her past (i.e., everyone’s dead), Mason’s an axe-wielding independent spirit forced to team with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) during the next round of kid-killing. There’s an expected clash of ideologies and survival methods between the two girls, one perhaps best stressed by the protagonist comparing her to “an older sister who hates you.”

It’s entirely reasonable — maybe, in some ways, a little unfair — to go right ahead and say that Wasikowska should get the role since, by default, she’s proven herself to be a more capable actress than Aggeliki (from whom we’ve seen literally nothing thus far). If there’s any reason I’d swing the other way — and it’s not like I care about Catching Fire‘s casting in the first place, to be honest — it’s because, as was the case with Armie Hammer, I’d prefer Ms. Jane Eyre just sticks to other material. I don’t have some stakes against the Hunger Games series or anything, but this neophyte sees the role as a paycheck and some minor chances to actually stretch the acting muscles. Really, the options become painfully clear-cut in that instance.

With Francis Lawrence directing, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is set to open on November 22nd, 2013.

Do you think either could land the Catching Fire role? Would you want them to in the first place?