Hunger Games backlash: Fans don't want Robert Pattinson to be in the sequel

Fans of The Hunger Games are sinking their teeth into Twilight's resident lovesick vampire Robert Pattinson after a rumour emerged that film studio Lionsgate is chasing him to play one of the second book's new characters, Finnick, in the big-screen sequel, Catching Fire.

R-Pattz obviously has the teen-blockbuster-adaptation market down pat (he also acted in the Harry Potter series), but avid Hunger Games fans won't have a bar of it.

#PattinsonIsNotFinnick exploded on Twitter, trending worldwide with fans posting comments like, "he should be the last person in the world to be cast as Finnick," and, "Finnick is supposed to be handsome, not have a face like a foot".

One tweeter with the screen name "Katniss Everdeen", named after the lead HG character, threatened "a rebellion bigger than you know. RT [re-tweet] if you're with me."

In the book, Finnick is described as being "tall, muscular, and athletic, with tan skin, bronze-coloured hair and incredible sea-green eyes".

Keeping in mind Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss, dyed her hair and lost weight for the role, R-Pattz could easily tone up and trade that lily-white complexion for something more along the lines of Tan Mom.

The casting of Finnick has been the subject of intense fan debate in the lead-up to the sequel, which starts shooting in August. Just a few weeks ago, a fan campaigning for Grey's Anatomy star Jesse Williams to win the part of Finnick received a surprisingly racist response from some fans who claimed Finnick is meant to be Caucasian and couldn't be played by a black actor.

Meanwhile, Hunger Games fans will be pleased to know the official title of the new film, set for release in November 2013, is The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. All of the original cast members whose characters survived will be back, and new additions are set to be announced soon.