Jennifer Lawrence Close To Playing 'Hunger Games'

Variety is reporting that recent Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone, upcoming X-Men: First Class) is close to be offered the lead role in Gary Ross's adaptation of the Suzanne Collins' novel, The Hunger Games, for Lionsgate.

Lawrence would play the role of Katniss, a young girl in a dystopian future who enters into a survival contest to save her community.

Insiders say Ross and Lionsgate execs have been mulling the decision for weeks on who to cast in the lead as fellow recent Acadmey Award nominee, Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), and Abigail Breslin have been being considered as well.

Age is said to have been the deciding factor (Lawrence is 20, Steinfeld and Breslin are only 14) as it helps both determine the tone of the film and the casting of a male lead/love interest, Peeta.  While there are plenty of up and coming male teenage actors out there, and recognizable 20-something is more easy to find.

Lionsgate expects Hungers Games to be the next 'Twilight'-sized franchise as the novel is part of a trilogy.

The film is set for a March 23rd, 2012 release date so expect official casting soon enough.