As the YA-addicted world awaits the conclusion of The Twilight Saga, internet storms are a-brewin' over the next teen franchise with Twilight-level potential: Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. But with casting speculation at a fever pitch (director Gary Ross should anoint his chosen ones any week now), it's time for some real talk: Most of your favorite young thespians aren't going to make the cut.
Some are too old to portray the teen characters of the beloved novel series (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay), about a tough-as-nails 16-year-old girl who enters a battle royale that pits her in a televised arena fight to the death. Others feel a tad young for the saga's brutal violence, romantic entanglements, and mature socio-political dramatics.
And then there's the simple problem of not having the right hair color or skin tone to match Collins' uber-specific character descriptions. Still, given that the competition seems wide open at the moment, let's play the speculation game. Can these fan favorites pull it off? Click here to launch the slideshow.