Elizabeth Banks Primed for The Hunger Games?

With most of the web finally at peace with Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, casting for The Hunger Games continues at a pretty fast pace. In addition to finding the faces of Peeta and Gale, director Gary Ross has also filled in the slots for Thresh and Rue, and Variety now brings word that Elizabeth Banks is in talks for a big role in the big screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ hit novel.

Banks is being considered for the role of Effie Trinket, and those are some important shoes to fill because Effie provides the information to Katniss (and the fans) about how the world within the novel works. Actually, she’s the person who escorts Katniss and Peeta from District 12 to the Capitol, but her role as information provider is essential to lay the foundation of the story.

The casting of Effie is also important because it could have an effect on who becomes former winner Haymitch, since the two characters spend a lot of time together in the first book. It almost seems like Haymitch should be cast first because he plays a big part in all three books. Of course, that could also be why they’re taking time with that part because they definitely need the right person for that role, and fan-favorite Hugh Laurie is unavailable for the role… and that’s a crying shame because he would have been perfect.

What do you think about Elizabeth Banks as Effie?