Amanda Plummer has joined the cast of "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," and in a twist that would fit at home in Suzanne Collins' source novel, the news wasn't broken by a Hollywood trade. (OK, that might be overstating things, but really.)
Lionsgate announced the casting of Plummer in the role of Wiress via press release, scooping the scoopsters at Deadline.com, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. She joins an ever-growing cast roster that already includes Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Jena Malone has been rumored to play the part of Johanna Mason, but her casting has not been confirmed by the studio. (The coveted role of Finnick Odair has yet to be filled either.)
In "Hunger Games: Catching Fire," Wiress is a female tribute from District 3 who won an unspecified Hunger Games. She gets thrown back into the arena during the Quarter Quell, where -- alongside Katniss (Lawrence) and Peeta (Hutcherson) -- she must fight to survive. Inside the arena, Wiress earns the nickname "Nuts," because of her batty demeanor and lack of communication skills.
Plummer is best known for her role in "Pulp Fiction" (she played "Honey Bunny"), but has also appeared in such films as "So I Married An Axe Murderer" and "The Fisher King." She's also won a Tony Award for "Anges of God" in 1982.
In "Catching Fire," Wiress is paired with Beetee, a male tribute from District 3. That role has yet to be cast, but fingers crossed the bespectacled character winds up being played by "Lost" star Michael Emerson. (Or, failing that, Tim Roth, for a "Pulp Fiction" reunion.)
"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is out in theaters on Nov. 22, 2013.
