The lead roles for the movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins‘ popular novel, The Hunger Games, were taken care of early with Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence set to play Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth locked in for the roles of Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne.

Since the leads were cast, the team working on the movie have been very busy bringing together a bunch of supporting actors to solidify the cast. A short time ago it was reported that Elizabeth Banks (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Zack and Miri Make A Porno) was in talks to play Effie Trinket, the eventual handler of Lawrence’s Katniss. The talks have now been sorted out, and Banks has been officially confirmed for the role.

Others that have been cast so far include Paula Malcomson (Caprica, Tombstone), who will play Katniss’s mother, Willow Shields (In Plain Sight) as Primrose Everdeen, Amandla Stenberg (Colombiana) and Dayo Okeniyi (Slew Hampshire) as District 11’s Rue and Thresh, Leven Rambin (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Grey’s Anatomy) and Jack Quaid as District 1’s Glimmer and Marvel, and Ian Nelson and Kalia Prescott as District 3’s tributes.

Though this brings most of the cast together, there are still some roles that need to be filled in the near future.

The Hunger Games is directed by Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit) and will be released on March 23, 2012.

[Source: Heat Vision]