Catching Fire rolls on, with a Lionsgate press release announcing that Lynn Cohen (Synechdoche, New York; Munich) will play Mags — the part rumored for Melissa Leo a few weeks back — in 2013′s sequel to the box office smash. Should you, like myself, be unfamiliar with the franchise (I missed the first movie, even), some context can be found in the note that Mags is “[a] former mentor to Finnick Odair, [and] an eighty year old Hunger Games victor from District 4.” It’s a classy choice for this franchise, yet no surprise; they’ve shown a very strong hand for casting throughout this entire run.

But the real focus, here, is Finnick Odair, a part that’s been up for debate since the film series was first announced. Armie Hammer, Taylor Kitsch, and Garret Hedlund were all eyed, and Grant Gustin (Glee) auditioned for the part. (For whatever this may be worth, it’s said that Ben Walker, Boyd Holbrook, and Tyler Hoechlin were also in contention.) I’m sorry to say, in the case of those men, that Sam Claflin (Snow White and the Huntsman) is just about to nab Finnick for himself.

With that, tons of speculation and debate have been put to rest, only to allow Hunger Games fans an opportunity for even more down the line. I have very to add, save for the note that his Huntsman performance completely went over my head — which is to say, I forgot he was even in that movie. Maybe he can impress with some of Suzanne Collins‘ words.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire brings back most of the original cast, along with newcomers Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, Amanda Plummer, and maybe even Tony Shalhoub. Francis Lawrence directs the film, which will open on November 22nd, 2013.

Has Claflin got “the stuff” to play Finnick? Will Cohen make a good fit for Mags?