Philip Seymour Hoffman & 'Hunger Games: Catching Fire': Oscar Winner Cast As Plutarch Heavensbee

Less than one month after being offered the chance to play Plutarch Heavensbee in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," Philip Seymour Hoffman has officially accepted the role, according to a press release from Lionsgate. Insert your best hack "Hunger Games" odds/favor joke right here.

Reports of Hoffman being offered the role first surfaced in industry stories about the Oscar winner leaving his agents at Paradigm and continuing without representation. (Hoffman: The next Bill Murray?) At the time, Deadline.com noted that Hoffman might pass on the chance to join "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" because of exhaustion from playing Willy Loman in the Broadway revival of "Death of a Salesman."

Plutarch rises to prominence in "Catching Fire," the second book in Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" trilogy, though he's first mentioned in "The Hunger Games." In "Catching Fire," Heavensbee takes over as Head Gamemaker following the death of Seneca Crane; he also plays a big part in the events of "Mockingjay," the final book in the series.

Hoffman is the second high-profile addition to the "Hunger Games" universe in the last week; Jena Malone has been offered the role of Johanna Mason in "Catching Fire," but she's yet to be officially hired.

The search for an actor to play Finnick Odair, the other big "Catching Fire" casting addition, is still ongoing.

Hoffman will next star in Paul Thomas Anderson's controversial new movie "The Master," which is set to hit theaters this fall. "Hunger Games: Catching Fire" will begin filming later this year for release on Nov. 22, 2013.