After months of intense speculation, "The Hunger Games" has found its male leads.
Josh Hutcherson will play Peeta Mellark, with Liam Hemsworth will play Gale Hawthorne, Lionsgate announced on Monday.
Both actors will star opposite Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone"), who is set to play heroine Katniss Everdeen.
Just who will be cast in the two highly coveted parts has ensnared nearly every actor under the age of 25 — including Alex Pettyfer and Hunter Parrish.
For Hutcherson, who recently turned heads in the Oscar nominated "The Kids Are All Right," the film is a chance at a franchise role after narrowly missing out on being cast in "The Amazing Spider-Man."
For Hemsworth, playing Gale gives the Australian actor an opportunity to be known for something other than being Miley Cyrus' boyfriend.
Peeta is the sometimes love interest of Katniss and Gale is her loyal friend.
Based on a novel by Suzanne Collins novel, "The Hunger Games" is the first in a trilogy and has sold 3 million copies in print in the United States.
“The Hunger Games” is set in a dystopic world, where teenagers are forced to participate in the annual “Hunger Games,” a fight-to-the-death televised event.
Lionsgate has high hopes for the film, which it hopes to turn into a franchise to potentially rival Summit's mega-grossing "Twilight."
Gary Ross ("Seabiscuit") will direct, and Nina Jacobson’s Color Force will produce in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Billy Ray ("Shattered Glass," "State of Play") wrote the screenplay.
The film hits theaters on March 23, 2012.
