Katniss Everdeen has herself a (drunken) mentor.
Following several days of rumors that former "Cheers" bartender Woody Harrelson was in the running for a role in "The Hunger Games" comes confirmation that he has indeed joined the cast and will be playing the part of Haymitch Abernathy, according to Heat Vision.
This news comes as something of a surprise, as John C. Reilly had been rumored for the part of Haymitch for the past couple of weeks.
Haymitch Abernathy is the only living person from District 12 to ever win the Hunger Games and now serves as the hard-drinking mentor to district tributes Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson).
We're all for Woody in this role. As good as Reilly would've been, Harrelson has a bit of the "crazy eye" (remember "Natural Born Killers?") that's perfect for Haymitch. Woody's also got a kind of melancholy intensity that's essential for the former Hunger Games champion.
Harrelson joins Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, Liam Hemsworth as Gale, Stanley Tucci as Hunger Games host Caesar Flickerman and Wes Bentley as Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane.
Now we just need to know who's playing Cato, Clove, Cinna and President Snow...
"The Hunger Games" begins filming later this month for a release date of March 23, 2012.
