Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) has landed the lead female role in The Hunger Games.

Lawrence triumphed over fellow actresses Chloe Moretz (Let Me In), Lyndsy Fonseca (Kick-Ass), Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), Emma Roberts (Scream 4), Kaya Scodelario (Moon) and Emily Browning (Sucker Punch), who were all reported to be under consideration.

The Hunger Games, an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ young-adult science fiction novel, centers on a young girl (Lawrence) who joins a survival contest in order to save her community in a dystopian future.

Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) is attached to direct the film, which is scheduled to hit cinema screens on March 23, 2012.

Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four), Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) and Hunter Parish (Weeds) are all said to be under consideration for the role of Peeta Mellark.

Lawrence will next be seen in X-Men: First Class and The Beaver, both scheduled to open in the UK over the lucrative Summer period.

Source: THR