Jeffrey Wright Will Play Beetee In 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'

Most of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire cast has been in place for weeks if not months, but as often happens with projects this big, there's been a last-minute tweak. Fortunately, it's a positive one: Character actor Jeffrey Wright has just signed on to play Beetee, a former Hunger Games winner from District 3. I want to say that this is the end of major casting for the film, but every time I think we're just about done something else seems to shift. So I won't. More after the jump.

Lionsgate issued a press release announcing Wright's casting today. Earlier this summer, rumor had it that Tony Shalhoub was up for the part. Known for his intelligence and expertise with technology, Beetee won the Games in his year by rigging an electronic trap to kill off his competitors. He remains close friends with another District 3 victor, Wiress (Amanda Plummer), and immediately hits it off with Katniss they meet.

The underrated Wright is probably best known for playing James Bond's American pal Felix Leiter in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. His other recent credits include Source Code, The Ides of March, and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. In 1994, he earned a Tony Award for starring in Tony Kushner's Angels in America; when the play was adapted for the small screen in 2003, he picked up a Golden Globe and an Emmy for reprising his role.

Also starring Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will open Novmber 22, 2013.