Outwardly, the actress perfectly matched the image of Katniss Everdeen, as she is described in the literary source.
Director Scott Derrickson, known as the director of the blockbuster Doctor Strange, once claimed to be the head of the first film in the Hunger Games series. In a recent post on his Twitter page, Derrickson tweeted that if he were to direct the Hunger Games, he would have cast Glee star Naya Rivera, who was recently found dead, to play Katniss Everdeen. Derrickson reported:
I really liked the first novel, The Hunger Games. I distinctly remember the description of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen: “slender, with black hair and olive skin.” In a meeting with the producer about my possible approval as a director, I said that while reading the book, I constantly imagined Naya Rivera as Katniss.
I loved the first Hunger Games novel and vividly remember its description of 16-yr-old Katniss Everdeen as “slender with black hair and olive skin." When meeting the producer about possibly directing it, I said that while reading the book I always imagined Naya Rivera as Katniss.
— N O S ⋊ Ɔ I ᴚ ᴚ Ǝ ᗡ ⊥ ⊥ O Ɔ S (@scottderrickson) July 14, 2020
Wow Naya Rivera would have done a great job in the role she still had so much to do she was incredibly talented actress and singer! 😔 pic.twitter.com/1nJI2kx0Fe
— STEVEN GONZALEZ (@StevenAGonzalez) July 17, 2020
It is not known for certain how great Derrickson’s chances of becoming the director of The Hunger Games were, but it would certainly be an interesting option. As a result, the choice of producers fell on Gary Ross (“Pleasantville”, “Favorite”), and Jennifer Lawrence, who became the main star of the entire franchise, was approved for the role of Katniss. Recall that four parts of The Hunger Games, based on the trilogy of the same name by the writer Susan Collins, grossed nearly $ 3 billion worldwide.