A battle was already raging well before production began on The Hunger Games! Prior to Lionsgate’s decision to cast Jennifer Lawrence as the female lead in the series, many of Hollywood’s up-and-comers stepped forward to audition for Katniss Everdeen. In March, Entertainment Weekly reported that approximately 30 actresses were in talks for the coveted role, among which included Emma Roberts, Emily Browning, Abigail Breslin and Chloe Moretz. 

In the end, these starlets may have talent but the odds were just not in their favor. Click through our gallery to see who almost became The Girl On Fire!

For co-starJosh Hutcherson, Jennifer was the perfect actress to play HG‘s protagonist. 

“Jennifer’s portrayal of Katniss is so spot on,” he told Celebuzz. “She really does encapsulate Katniss’ strength as a heroine perfectly. She to me is the one that stands out immediately.”

Adding onto Josh’s plethora of praises for Jennifer, director Gary Ross only had compliments for the actress as well. When it was announced that he had casted the 21-year-old as Katniss, he gushed to Entertainment Weekly about her audition, saying:

She came in and read for me and it just knocked me out. I don’t want to go into too many details, but we did a scene from the movie and it was so amazingly powerful that it was sort of stunning. You glimpsed every aspect of the role and the potential of the whole movie.

With The Hunger Games‘ release less than 100 days away, Celebuzz wants to make sure our readers are up to speed before diving into the highly-anticipated flick. Make sure follow us through the 100 Days of Hunger Games by clicking “Like” on our Facebook and bookmark our Hunger Games page for the latest news. We’ll have more HG goodness for you tomorrow and every day until March 23!

These Emilys are some of the classiest Hollywood ladies around!

From TV to film, these ladies are not only good looking, but incredibly talented as well.

So, let’s look a little closer into the lives of each of these hot Emilys.

First, there is Emily Blunt. From her roles in films such as The Devil Wears Prada and The Adjustment Bureau, there are plenty of reasons why we covet her! (Not to mention she is married to John Krasinski!)

Next up is Emily Deschanel. She stars as the sharp tounged forensics specialist on the hit FOX show Bones. Brains and beauty? Love it!

Also, we have the up and coming actress Emily Browning who starred in the high octane, action packed Suckerpunch.

Last but not least we have British beauty Emily Mortimer. Emily had two hit summer movies, including Cars 2 and Our Idiot Brother. She is also set to star in Aaron Sorkin‘s new HBO show.

So, which Emily do YOU find to be the hottest? Sound off in the poll!

Sure, the Cannes Film Festival is technically about celebrating the fine art of film but we know why everyone is really interested in the glamorous event – the dresses!

Celebuzz asked our favorite fashion expert Art Conn (you may know him as the costume designer for American Idol) to give us his picks of the best and worst looks from this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Up now: Art’s worst picks, varying from Lady Gaga to Emily Browning.

Check out all of Art’s “worst” picks and sound off in the comments. Want more Art? Follow him on Twitter!

Summer is right around the corner and Emily Browning is celebrating the season early with a cute tropical print minidress.

The dress featured green painted leaves that created an abstract effect on the sexy dress design. The mixture of deep and neon greens created an interesting effect on the dress and makes it look more youthful than your typical cocktail frock.

It’s no secret that prints have been a huge trend this year, and everything from pants to scarves have been covered in bright, graphic prints. If you do decide to wear a piece of clothing with a bold print, be sure to pair it with neutral accessories like the beige shoes that Emily wore.

Emily wore the cute mini to a photocall for her new film, Sleeping Beauty at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, May 12.

What do you think of Emily’s dress? Sound off in the comments.

Wondering who you should be watching out for at this year’s Cannes Film Festival? Celebuzz has got you covered with our handy guide to the hottest stars, films and parties to hit he French Riviera.

From established stars like Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie to plucky newcomers like Emily Browning and Mia Wasikowska, this year’s Cannes Film Festival is gearing up to be the most glamorous event of the season. Check out our guide and be sure to follow Celebuzz on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr for 24/7 Cannes news.

What stars are you looking forward to seeing at the Cannes Film Festival? Share your favorites in the comments.

Young Hollywood starlets Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung team up in the hopes of Sucker Punch-ing their box office competition this weekend. The action-packed fantasy film Sucker Punch is set in the 1950s and follows a young girl’s attempt to escape an asylum with her inmate friends facing the threat of a lobotomy. Director Zack Snyder describes the film as “Alice in Wonderland with machine guns,” complete with dragons, B-25 bombers and brothels.

The star-studded ensemble cast proves to be a force to be reckoned with on-screen, but who are these fierce females? Celebuzz has compiled a guide to the leading ladies of Sucker Punch.

Emily Browning
Australian beauty Emily Browning leads the cast as Baby Doll–the fearless leader of this flock of femme fatales. After being sent to a mental institution by her step-father, she decides to escape to freedom with the help of her friends.

Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Uninvited and Darkness Falls.

Jena Malone
No stranger to strong and complex characters, Jena Malone takes on the role of the outspoken Rocket in the film.

Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Pride & Prejudice, Saved! and The Soloist

Vanessa Hudgens
A far cry from her sugary sweet Disney roles in the past, Hudgens plays the street-smart and hard-edged Blondie in the film.

Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Beastly, High School Musical 1, 2 & 3 and on the arm of ex-boyfriend Zac Efron

Abbie Cornish
This Aussie starlet was cast in the role of the reluctant and soft-spoken Sweet Pea.

Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Limitless, Stop-Loss, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Bright Star

Jamie Chung
This California Girl replaced Emma Stone in the original Sucker Punch lineup and stars as the fiercely loyal and feisty Amber.

Where You’ve Seen Her Before: Grown Ups, Sorority Row and this year’s The Hangover Part II

Will you be checking out this film when it hit theaters this Friday? Let us know in the comments.

Confused about the plot of the upcoming Vanessa Hudgens/Emily Browning action-fantasy thriller Sucker Punch? Allow yourself to be informed by the video below.

A behind-the-scenes primer for the film—which hits theaters on March 25, 2011 and stars Browning as a young girl who’s institutionalized by her stepmother and escapes into an alternate reality as a coping mechanism—has been released to break it all down for audiences. Oh, and it also features all sorts of neat gunplay and explosions.

Dive into the featurette below. Are you looking forward to seeing Sucker Punch? Let us know in the comments section. And in case you missed the trailer for the flick, check it out here.

Whoa; Vanessa Hudgens has definitely moved beyond High School Musical.

A new trailer for Hudgens’ upcoming movie, Sucker Punch, has just been replaced, and it’s far from the same old song and dance for Hudgie Bear. The Zach Snyder-directed film (out March 25, 2011) follows the exploits of a young girl (played by Emily Browning) who’s institutionalized by her evil stepmother, and slips into an alternate reality where she envisions her escape with fellow inmates Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Blondie (Hudgens) and Rocket (Jena Malone). As the video below demonstrates, the escape is enacted via a surreal mash of explosions, dragons and copious amounts of gunplay.

Check out the new Sucker Punch trailer below. Will you be going along for the freaky, violent ride when it hits theaters? Let us know in the comments section. And when you’re done with that, check out Celebuzz’s gallery of Vanessa Hudgens’ Sexiest Looks.

Wow; Vanessa Hudgens is definitely leaving her High School Musical past in the dust. 

Posters for Hudgens’ next film, Sucker Punch, have hit the Internet, revealing Hudgens as gun-toting (and, it seems, ironically named) bad girl Blondie in the fantasy thriller. No question, Vanessa’s gunning for a new image.

Click through the photo gallery to see a whole new side of Hudgens, along with her co-stars Abbie Cornish, Emily Browning and others.