24 Actors Who Were Almost in The Hunger Games

Though Magic Mike's Alex Pettyfer met with producers about the role of Peeta Mellark, he was "undecided" and still waiting on a script when Josh Hutcherson was cast.

Hunter Parrish, one of the stars of Weeds, was another contender for Peeta. The Weeds star was supposedly in serious talks for the role before they cast Josh Hutcherson. The actor also wanted to play Finnick in Catching Fire, telling POPSUGAR, "If they'd consider me, I'll be there."

He nabbed a plum role in the X-Men franchise, but Lucas Till wasn't so lucky when it came to casting for The Hunger Games. The actor went out for the role of the bread maker's son but didn't end up getting it.

Evan Peters didn't nab the part of Peeta, but if he had, we would have never discovered how much we love him in American Horror Story.

David Henrie, best known for his role in The Wizards of Waverly Place and as Ted's future son on How I Met Your Mother, was allegedly on the short list for Katniss's hunting buddy, Gale.

Alexander Ludwig may have missed out on Peeta, but he got a pretty solid consolation prize: the role of District 2's ferocious tribute Cato!

Before he was confirmed as Gale, Liam Hemsworth was originally considered for Peeta. We have no complaints here.

Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld was one of the top contenders for the role of Katniss. Not only was she a fan favorite, but she had also met with director Gary Ross. "It's definitely something that we're taking one day at a time and making sure that everything is in place," Steinfeld said before Jennifer Lawrence was cast.

Emily Browning, star of 2011's Sucker Punch, may have had the skills to take on the physically demanding role of Katniss, but she told reporters that she'd never read the books. Curiously enough, Emily had also been considered for the role of Bella in the Twilight saga, but she said she wasn't ready to commit to a trilogy.

Kaya Scodelario, the star of The Maze Runner, tweeted that she was "gutted" after losing the part of Katniss, which she read for.

Dakota Fanning has grown up in front of the camera, but her status as a household name may have cost her the part, as producers had said early on that they wanted a fresh face.

Nikita star Lyndsy Fonseca went to director Gary Ross's house to read for the part, and though she didn't end up getting the role of Katniss, she said she considered herself lucky to just get that far.

Saoirse Ronan earned rave reviews (and an Oscar nod) for her performance in 2007's Atonement. Since then, she's scored lead roles in The Host and 2011's Hanna, but she missed out on Katniss after she read the script for the first film.

Emma Roberts was linked to the project from very early on, and despite her lengthy list of credits, producers passed on the actress for the role of Katniss.

Thanks to her lauded role in The Descendants, Shailene Woodley still became a breakout star, even though she missed out on playing Katniss. But YA fans still got to see her star in other hot adaptations: Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars.

Chloë Grace Moretz had a breakout role in Kick-Ass, and though losing the part of Katniss freed her up for the action movie's sequel as well as Carrie, it still would have been fun to see her kick ass in the arena.

Before Woody Harrelson took the role of Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss and Peeta's booze-soaked games trainer, it was rumored that John C. Reilly would be offered the part.

According to E! News, Garrett Hedlund was considered for the role of Finnick.

Supposedly, Taylor Kitsch made it to the final three actors up for the role of Finnick.

Armie Hammer, aka The Lone Ranger, was up for the role of Finnick.

Before Jena Malone scored the part, Mia Wasikowska was considered for Johanna Mason's role.

Romeo (formerly known as Lil' Romeo) met with Lionsgate about Catching Fire, though he never revealed what part they were talking about. The rapper said, "I can't really talk too much, or they'll kill me. You know how The Hunger Games is."

Monk's Tony Shalhoub was the frontrunner to play Beetee before Jeffrey Wright was cast.

Kevin Durand, who stars in Fruitvale Station and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, was up for Brutus, the role that eventually went to Bruno Gunn.