Anyone who has seen TRUE GRIT almost certainly walked away impressed by the performance of Hailee Steinfeld, who steals the movie away from vets like Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon (who are both equally good, by the way) as a determined young girl on a quest for vengeance. The teenager has got to be considered one of the more promising on-the-rise actresses in the business right now, and she may be in the process of lining up another major leading role. (F*ck the Academy for putting her in the Supporting Actress category – she’s the film’s lead.)
In an interview with MTV at last night’s Oscars, Steinfeld confirmed what had been speculated for weeks, that she’s up for the pivotal role of Katniss Everdeen in Gary Ross’s THE HUNGER GAMES. The actress said that she’s met with Ross and “It’s definitely something that we’re taking one day at a time and making sure that everything is in place.” To me, that sounds like she could indeed be the anointed one, but I suppose only time will tell.
Based on the massively successful trilogy of books by Suzanne Collins, here’s the deal with THE HUNGER GAMES: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.
The first film is due to hit theaters in March of 2012.