Oh, Finnick Odair. Please Be Dreamy. (Casting Rumors)

Fly Mockingjay! FLY!

EDIT: Sam Claflin (Pirates 4 and Snow White & the Huntsman) was tagged to play Finnick Odair. So, in short, this post is irrelevant. But! Take a look anyway at who we assessed should play the role. Also, there are copious amounts of Jennifer Lawrence love.

While the Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, has officially announced its next director, there is still much speculation on the casting of certain characters. Well, mainly one. There is a certain character in Catching Fire that drips of manliness and sultry sexiness. Yes, yes I am talking about non-other than the dreamy male tribute and victor from District 4:

Finnick Odair.

More Jennifer. Just because.

Now, I won't spoil too much of the book, but I will say that Finnick is the epitome of every girl and guys dream crush. Every woman in The Capitol succumbed to his overwhelming handsomeness, and well, his beauty was one of the contributing factors to his victory in the 64th Hunger Games.

Obviously handsome, but also tall, muscular, and athletic. Whew. To top of that package, he's described to have tan skin (the byproduct of being in the fishing district, 4) with bronze hair. He knows he's gorgeous, and he is extremely flirtatious. His voice has a "seductive purr" to it. Um. Yes.

While his physique causes everybody to swoon, his most stunning feature is probably... his eyes. (Get your mind out of the gutter.) He possesses deep sea green eyes, or rather, eyes the same color as the sea. Eyes that even hypnotize the un-swoonable Katniss (played by Jennifer Lawrence. *swoon*).

Many a-fangirl and guy has chimed in on their choices of hunky actors who should play the dreamy Finnick. It ranges from the established actor to the up-and-coming pretty boy to the just plain obscure. Now, it's my turn.

Another one. Deal with it.

While I said I wouldn't spoil too much of the book, I will say this. Finnick is not just a pretty boy. He's dangerous. He's ruthless. He's damaged... He carries the physical and emotional scars from killing fellow youth in combat. Whoever plays the seductive Finnick Odair must also possess the acting chops to present a character who can range from seemingly being indestructible to incredibly vulnerable.  As the books progress, Finnick becomes increasingly unstable from a pent up fear and worry that I will not spoil.

Ladies (and gentlemen), I give to you the best choices to play the alluringly gorgeous Finnick Odair.

Armie Hammer

Why: The 25-year-old Hammer certainly has the looks and the acting talent to carry the role of Finnick. The dashing 6' 5" star showed he can play cocky confidence in The Social Network, where he played two characters, Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (two Armie Hammers... yes). He also performed well in Clint Eastwood's Hoover biopic, J. Edgar, showing he can play complex characters, so he has definitely got the acting chops to pull of Finnick. Oh yeah, and he grew up in the Cayman Islands where he walked around with a machete on his hip.

Why Not: Well, some complain he just isn't Finnick. Looks are subjective, but some in the blog-o-sphere are clamoring that he is not stunning enough. Others say that he would be very good as the gloomy, despondent Mockingjay (the third and final book in the series) version of Finnick, but can't see him as the charismatic, sensual Catching Fire Finnick. Still others raise a fuss about Hammer being too tall and too old. Hammer is also a quickly rising star, and his schedule will undoubtedly fill up, so he may be too booked to film Catching Fire and both Mockingjay films.

Jake Abel

Why: The Percy Jackson star certainly has the looks to pull off Finnick Odair. He has youth on his side, only 24, and at 6' 1" Abel seems to meet the height requirement also. While he hasn't been in many films, Abel has shown he can play that self-centered, cocky Finnick of Catching Fire. Abel is also no stranger to young adult adaptions, playing roles in both Percy Jackson, I am Number Four, and The Host. He has already tapped into that key demographic with those films: screaming fangirls youths.

Why Not: While tall, good-looking, and young, Abel lacks the build of the muscular Finnick. While that's easily accomplished by bulking up and slamming down raw eggs and protein shakes, there is a general feeling of "blah" when Abel's name gets mentioned. Abel hasn't been in many films that require him to tap into his acting prowess, and while he may look the part of Finnick, can he act it? There is some skepticism of Abel's ability to pull off the emotional range of Finnick Odair, as well.

Matt Bomer

Why: Rugged handsomeness. Muscular build. Versatile actor. Bomer seems to be a solid choice for the District 4 victor. While lacking the big screen experience, the 34-year-old has shown his acting chops off in Chuck, White Collar, and Glee. Bomer has quite a following among young people, due to his work on Glee. Some say, "But... he's gay." Um. So? Does that stop Neil Patrick Harris from being the ridiculous woman-izer he is on How I Met Your Mother and pretty much everything else he's in. No. While Bomer is nowhere near the awesomeness that is NPH, he should have no problem playing an alluring character.

Why Not: Well, Bomer is on the wrong side of 30. While Finnick's age isn't explicitly stated in the books, I would imagine many people pictured him as being on the south side of 30. With all the other young bucks lining up to take the role, Bomer may be overlooked. His track record isn't the most accomplished either. He lacks the big screen experience, and he may be overwhelmed with being part of the Catching Fire blockbuster (plus, the two movies for Mockingjay).

Jesse Williams

Why: Look at the guy. Now back here. Now back at him. Yeah... Williams has the eyes, the skin tone, and the build to be a perfect candidate for Finnick. He's shown that he can play heartthrob-y characters, like in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and his work in Grey's Anatomy. The 30-year-old has also starred in the surprising horror-hit The Cabin in the Woods, where he took his first leading role.

Why Not: Okay, so he's black. As with another article about an assumed white guy, this would cause a stir. The whole controversy about Rue, Thresh and Cinna being played by black people blew up the internetz by ridiculously racist and ignorant tweets and posts. Picking Williams would also probably cause the neo-Nazis same people to crawl out of their crypts and blog about how he's black. Such a shame too because if there should be a good reason why Williams won't get the part is due to his lack of acting experience. He hasn't really shown that he could handle the complex role of Finnick.

Hunter Parrish

Why: Already on the studio's radar, Parrish was overlooked to play the role of Peeta (given to Josh Hutcherson). The Weeds star has shown his acting chops with his portrayal of Silas Botwin. His youth and fresh face to the franchise would be very welcome, as well. The main reason Hutcherson was cast instead of Parrish was due to the fact that Parrish at 24 looked too old to play Peeta. No problem there, as Finnick is supposed to be older than both Peeta and Katniss.

Why Not: Well... he did lose a part already. While this hasn't stopped actors from getting parts in the future, Parrish is certainly up against some very stiff competition. Plus, well, he's short. Still taller than me at 5' 7", Parrish could be at a disadvantage with this height issue. While height problems can be easily solved with camera angles and the like, it may be something that the studios can avoid all together by casting one of Parrish's taller competitors

Garrett Hedlund

Why: The TRON: Legacy hunk is one of the most sought out young actors right now. A favorite Finnick choice among blogs, Hedlund has that charm and swagger that is necessary to play Finnick. He is also a ridiculously good actor able to play the cocky, charismatic character, yet also able to portray emotional damage and pain. Tall, dark, and handsome Hedlund would be an amazing choice for the dreamboat District 4 hunk.

Why Not: Some bloggers have problems with Hedlund's country/frat boy look. Other than that, Hedlund is quite favored around the blog-o-spheres. However, with the almost certain success of On the Road (coming to Cannes), Hedlund's schedule may fill up quite quickly. The studios would have to act fast to secure him for not only Catching Fire but also the two movies of Mockingjay.

Grant Gustin

Why: Another fan favorite, Gustin burst onto people's radars with his performance in Glee. Not only is Gustin an avid Hunger Games fan, he even says he empathizes with Finnick. What does that mean? No idea, but I do know that the kid is Grade-A swoon material. The heartthrob has the dashing good looks as well as the fan base that could propel him to the role of Finnick.

Why Not: Well, he's a bit young-ish looking. At only 22, Gustin is the youngest on this list. While older than Lawrence and Hutcherson, Gustin just has that boy-ish charm to him, not the sultry sexiness needed for the role of Finnick. His major work only includes Glee and while he's good in that, there are some questions as to if he could handle the emotional role of Finnick. Personally, I would rather have him cast as Peeta, but... that's just me.

Whew. So many men...

Well, there are certainty many more young, virile actors that are worthy candidates (William Levy, Chace Crawford) to play Finnick; however, some of the choices will never happen (Andrew Garfield, Tom Hardy, Chris Pine, Ryan Gosling, James Franco), while others will no doubt be bogged down with schedules that will fill up (all those hunky Twilight guys), still others, while they have the looks, lack the talent (Alex Pettyfer, Joey Graceffa, Zac Effron).

Honestly, you should've expected this.

If it was up to me, I would cast Armie Hammer. He's got the whole package going for him: looks, charm, deep voice, wit, talent. You just couldn't go wrong with the 25-year-old up-and-coming actor. If not Hammer than Hedlund. And if not Hedlund, Williams. But, alas, it is not up to me. That is something new director Francis Lawrence gets to decide. And it will probably be someone not even mentioned by anyone...

Who do you think should play the dreamy Finnick Odair?

Sound off in the comments!

Be sure to check out this article on who should be cast as the sassy and sexy Joanna Mason, the victor from District 7.

This guy got the role: