The "Catching Fire" casting rumors are heating up again this week with news from The Hollywood Reporter that Jena Malone has been offered the role of Johanna Mason in the "Hunger Games" sequel.

The report comes less than a week after rumors started circulating that Malone was the front-runner for the role.

According to THR, Malone has the offer and is in early negotiations for the part, which would include appearances in "Catching Fire" as well as the third and fourth films set to encompass Suzanne Collins' conclusion to the trilogy, "Mockingjay."

"Hunger Games" studio Lionsgate had no comment about the report when reached by MTV News.

Johanna Mason is one of the more celebrated characters in the trilogy because of her feisty and cunning nature, the very skills she relied upon to win her first tournament in the "Games." What the District 7 tribute might lack in strength and bulk she makes up for with her stealth and killer instincts. In one of the more memorable scenes in "Catching Fire," Mason strips naked in front of Katniss in order to make her uncomfortable.

Malone has been working in film and television since she was a child. Her diverse and colorful acting résumé is proof that she has the chops to pull off the role. Malone most recently appeared in the History Channel's hugely successful miniseries "Hatfields & McCoys" and, before that, the action fantasy "Sucker Punch."

Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

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