Could Philip Seymour Hoffman be ‘Catching Fire?’

Franchise films often cast great actors for small roles. It usually means a big payday for the actor, and it gives the film more credibility. So it's no surprise that 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' has offered a role to Philip Seymour Hoffman. But he'd also have to sign on for the sequel...

Hoffman's been offered Plutarch Heavensbee, according to Jeff Snieder of Variety. He would be taking the place of Wes Bentley's character as the head game-maker. But the character has secrets  about why he agreed to take the job.

Hoffman's got a great track record as an actor, having won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2005 for 'Capote,' and he hasn't done much blockbuster work since 2006's 'Mission: Impossible III.' Of course, early in his career he would pop up as support in films like 'Twister' and 'The Getaway,' but he's mostly steered clear once he became recognized as a great actor.

One of the bad side effects of 'The Hunger Games' novels being so successful is that all the characters are stuck with ridiculous names - though it's hard to say if Plutarch Heavensbee is more or less ridiculous than Finnick Odair or Katniss Everdeen. On that note, the producers have denied any and all casting rumors on Odair. That said, with a start date only months away, we should be getting more casting news shortly.