Sam Claflin - Confirmed: Sam Claflin Is Finnick Odair In 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Fans of the series can now relax in anticipation for the Hunger Games sequel, knowing that the pivotal role of Finnick will be played by Claflin, who enjoyed a role in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opposite the mercurial Johnny Depp, and played William in Snow White and the Huntsman. He joins Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, and Amanda Plummer as one of the main new additions to the Hunger Games franchise. Director Francis Lawrence, who directed the Will Smith film, I Am Legend, is due to begin shooting this Autumn, and the film is set to arrive in theatres on Nov. 22, 2013.

The films are based on the novels of Suzanne Collins, and the 2012 original proved to be a great success; the film's opening weekend brought in a record $152.5 million, and the second instalment of the cinematic adaption is set to build on the franchise's initial success. Perhaps it's no wonder the films proved a success, though, as the novels received critical acclaim, as well as the best kind of compliment for an author: praise from other fantasy novelist, as Stephen King declared his praise for the series.