The cast of The Hunger Games is beginning to fill out as today it was announced newcomer Willow Shields (pictured) will star as Prim, the younger sister to the film’s protagonist Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence). The film is set in a society in which districts pay tribute in the form of a teenage boy and girl who are forced to fight to the death on live TV and Prim is originally the name chosen for District 12, but Katniss volunteers to go in her stead, thus saving her from the savagery.
Additionally, Jack Quaid, son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, and Leven Rambin joined the cast as District 1 “Career Tributes” Marvel and Glimmer respectively. Career Tributes are district members that have trained their whole lives to fight in the Hunger Games.
Smith, Quaid and Rambin join previously cast Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Dayo Okeniyi, Amandla Stenberg and Elizabeth Banks in the film to be directed by Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) from a Billy Ray script with production expected to begin later this year for an already planned March 23, 2012 release.
