According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paula Malcomson (form Caprica and Deadwood, most notably) has been cast to play the mother of Katniss and Prim, two characters from the wildly popular Hunger Games novels.

I’ve not seen Caprica yet, but I can’t imagine she’s a bad actress. There’s been a lot to do about some casting not living up to your expectations, but I want to know if this jives with your notions of the character. Is she even a big enough part to stress about?

From the Hollywood Reporter, about the part:

In the books, Katniss and Prim’s mother is grieving after her husband’s death, living in fear that her daughters will participate in the deadly Hunger Games.

Sounds pretty one dimensional to me.

And the film is scheduled to come out March 23, 2012, which seems awful soon if they’re still casting and haven’t started shooting yet. It could be a horrible, botched, rush job.

Ordinarily, Scarlett Ro’Botica would be reporting on this since she’s read the books, but she’s returned to the red earth of Tara for vacation.  It’s where she gets her strength.  It’s part of her and she’s part of it.  So here I am, cluelessly reporting this news.

And so I’m going to open this up to a poll.  Should I be reading The Hunger Games in advance of the movie?  I hear far too many people raving about it and that’s finally what got me to read Harry Potter.  But the same could be said for Twilight and out of bizarre curiosity I read some of it to find that it was insufferable garbage.

So, faithful readers of Big Shiny Robot!: Should I get in on this?