Elizabeth Banks

Fan Reaction to Elizabeth Banks Joining The Hunger Games

The Tributes from District 12 have their escort. It was announced earlier this week that Elizabeth Banks has been cast as the colorful Effie Trinket in the movie adaptation of The Hunger Games.

How did The Hunger Games community respond to Banks playing Effie?

Down with The Capitol

Elizabeth Banks is a great fit for the role of Effie Trinket. Her resume is filled with both comedy and drama, and to do Effie justice, I feel you need to be able to do well with both genres. Another big plus is how enthusiastic she seems about the role. In announcing it over twitter she has connected herself to the fans on a very personal level, and teasing us with quotes from the book was perfect. She has become Effie already in many fans minds, now she just needs the pink hair.

Theresa M. (Admin) Shepherd, MI

Elizabeth Banks is perfect for the role of Effie Trinket. She captures the seriousness of the role but she also has the comedic relief that Effie's character displays in the books. She seems genuinely happy about getting the role and I cannot wait to see how she will bring Effie to life.

Arianna R. (Admin) Antioch, CA

• The Hunger Games
• Elizabeth Banks

Hunger Games Casting News: Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket

In a press release today, Lionsgate announced the addition of Elizabeth Banks to the cast of The Hunger Games as Effie Trinket. Reports that Banks would play Effie have been around for a couple of weeks now, but the press release makes it official. Banks — who has been playing brash yet poised, type-A Avery Jessop on NBC's 30 Rock for the last couple of seasons — is almost certain to capture the escort for District 12's tributes admirably. Most of the recent cast announcements have been either for Hollywood newcomers or relatively unknown actors, so the addition to the cast for a veteran like Banks makes for a change. There may be a stronger reaction from the fan community with this announcement than with other recent announcements.

• The Hunger Games
• Elizabeth Banks
• Suzanne Collins

First Trailer for Our Idiot Brother Starring Paul Rudd

The first trailer for Our Idiot Brother (formerly My Idiot Brother) has been released online, making it the second well-reviewed 2011 Sundance Film Festival indie to get a theatrical trailer this week after Another Earth. Written by Evegenia Peretz and David Schisgall from a story by Evegenia and director Jesse Peretz, the movie stars Paul Rudd as Ned, an idealistic hippie with a sunny disposition who intrudes on the lives of his three sisters—career-oriented Miranda (Elizabeth Banks), bisexual hipster Natalie ( Zooey Deschanel) and perfect mother Liz (Emily Mortimer)—after getting out of jail to find that his girlfriend has dumped him.

• Our Idiot Brother
• Paul Rudd (II)
• Jesse Peretz
• Zooey Deschanel
• David Schisgall
• Emily Mortimer
• Elizabeth Banks

Elizabeth Banks Set to Join The Hunger Games

The cast of director Gary Ross' adaptation of The Hunger Games is quickly becoming complete.

Actors Dayo Okeniyi and Amandla Stenberg were recently cast as District 11 Tributes Thresh and Rue, with Jennifer Lawrence already landing the lead role of District 12 tribute Katniss Everdeen. Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) as and Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song) have also been cast as main characters Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne, respectively.

The latest cast addition, according to Variety, is Elizabeth Banks (The Next Three Days, The Uninvited) as Effie Trinket, the hair-color changing, District 12 escort who, in Suzanne Collins' dystopian novel, brings the forced contestants to the televised death-match known as the Hunger Games. Banks is reportedly "in talks" for the role, and Lionsgate has yet to confirm the actress in the role.

Production on The Hunger Games is set to start in a couple months, which gives Ross plenty of time to cast the remaining roles, particularly Prim, the younger sister of Katniss, and main antagonist, President Coriolanus Snow (You can cast the roles yourself at the Hunger Games Cast-O-Rama). The Hunger Games is scheduled to open on March 23, 2012.

• The Hunger Games
• Elizabeth Banks
• Suzanne Collins