Two days ago, we reported that actors Armie Hammer, Taylor Kitsch, and Garrett Hedlund are the top three candidates to play Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Today we have word that Taylor Kitsch is no longer in the running.

The actor revealed in a brief email to The Los Angeles Times that it's, "Not going to happen." He is coming off two straight box office flops with Disney's John Carter and Universal's Battleship. Lionsgate would not confirm or deny that Armie Hammer and Garrett Hedlund are still in the running to play Finnick.

Francis Lawrence is directing Catching Fire from a screenplay by Michael Arndt. This follow-up to The Hunger Games centers on the Third Quarter Quell, otherwise known as the 75th Annual Hunger Games. In this anniversary edition of the games, past winners are invited/forced back onto the battlefield to fight for their district once more. Finnick, the District 4 winner of the 65th Annual Hunger Games, forms an intriguing alliance with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) during the games.

Production is scheduled to begin later this summer.