Alex Pettyfer and Josh Hutcherson dueling for Hunger Games role

There’s currently a free-for-all for the lead role in the upcoming adaptation of THE HUNGER GAMES, with WINTER’S BONE Jennifer Lawrence leading the pack of up-and-coming young actresses, but now there’s a similar scenario going on for that character’s love interest.

Among the host of young men being considered for the love interest “Peeta,” the two leading men right now are I AM NUMBER FOUR’s Alex Pettyfer, who hasn’t yet seen a script, and THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT’s Josh Hutcherson, who has both read an early draft and met with a director.

As for the film? If you haven’t read this synopsis yet, you should. From the book by Suzanne Collins:

“It introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where North America once stood. This is where a powerful government working in a central city called the Capitol holds power. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl from each district to fight to the death. The Hunger Games exist to demonstrate not even children are beyond the reach of the Capitol’s power.”

Reportedly the author got the idea while flipping through the channels between reality shows and Iraq War footage, but I’m guessing BATTLE ROYALE must have been on TV that day too.

I say cast them both in two different roles and let Hutcherson and Pettyfer battle to the death on screen.