AceShowbiz -

After joining audition for "The Hunger Games", Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson have allegedly become the front-runners to take male roles for the forthcoming film. Deadline reported that Hemsworth tops the list of candidates to play Gale Hawthorne, while Hutcherson is the lead contender to take the role of Peeta Mellark.

Hawthorne is described as the hunting partner of Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen. Meanwhile, Mellark is the one who accompanies her as the district's entry into the Hunger Games competition.

Beside Hemsworth, David Henrie, Robbie Amell, and Drew Roy have also joined the audition to take the role of Hawthorne. Meanwhile, Hunter Parrish, Evan Peters, Alexander Ludwig, and Lucas Till are other actors who have tested for the role of Mellark.

As a younger brother of "Thor" star Chris Hemsworth, Liam has made appearance in Hollywood film through his role as Will Blakelee in 2010's "The Last Song". The film led him to win 2010 Young Hollywood Awards for Young Hollywood Breakthrough of the Year.

In the meantime, Hutcherson gained fame from his role in "Zathura" and has starred in "Bridge to Terabithia" as well as "The Kids are All Right". He will be seen in "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" and "Red Dawn".

"The Hunger Games" follows 16-year-old Everdeen who lives with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. As a tradition, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When her sister is chosen by lottery, Everdeen steps up to go in her place.

Scheduled to grace U.S. theaters on March 30, 2012, the film has Gary Ross as the helmer and Suzanne Collins as the scribe. Nina Jacobson serves as the producer for the movie which is adapted from Suzanne Collins' science-fiction novel of the same name.