'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' Casting: Maria Howell As Seeder

Seemingly day by day, it gets clearer and clearer who will be shoulder-to-shoulder with Katniss Everdeen on her "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" Victor's Tour.

The latest? Veteran actress Maria Howell will step into the role of former District 11 tribute Seeder, ComingSoon.com reports.

Prior to this most recent role alongside a growing cadre of former Hunger Games victors, Howell has a long dramatic background stretching back to playing a choir soloist in 1985's "The Color Purple" and continuing into more recent dramatic turns in "The Blind Side," a 2009-2011 stint on The CW's "The Vampire Diaries" and the custody-battle drama "Daddy's Little Girls." She's got range, too: she's also made appearance on the TBS Tyler Perry sitcom "House of Payne" and the Lifetime drama series "Army Wives." There's not much the role could ask of her that her resume doesn't suggest she could probably deliver.

Upon her return from a 74th Hunger Games victory alongside co-tribute Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) treks from district to district on the ensuing Victor's Tour with former tributes - some forever changed by their experiences - as The Capitol moves pieces into place for the pivotal Quarter Quell.

Howell joins a rapidly growing cast that most recently added E. Roger Mitchell as District 11 tribute Chaff. Before him, "Sucker Punch" and "Donnie Darko" actress Jena Malone was cast as young, psychologically fragile former tribute Johanna Mason. "Criminal Minds" and "Cold Case" veteran Meta Golding has signed to play Enorabia, a former victor with a particularly grim story. Veteran actress Amanda Plummer ("Pulp Fiction") is set for District 3's Wiress, a friend and ally of Katniss. Sam Clafin of "Snow White and The Huntsman" looks poised to play damaged, trident-tossing tribute Finnick Odaire.

Others previously cast also include Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavesbee, Lynn Cohen as Mags and Bruno Gunn as Brutus, to name a few.

Sagas of this scope will be enough of a toll on Lionsgate's budget as it is, even before factoring in Lawrence's recent pay bump from $500,000 for "The Hunger Games" to a $10-million salary including incentives to join "Catching Fire."

Tighten the belt a bit further when considering rumors that Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth want their $2-million offers to return reconsidered in light of Lawrence's tremendous bump. Look at the big picture, and in addition to just being right for the roles, the economics of casting increasingly lesser-known talents over aiming high for more A-list performers support Lionsgate's direction.

In addition, the studio has a certain precedent on its side of letting its franchises make stars, as opposed to starting with stars making franchises. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner weren't entirely inexperienced when cast in "Twilight," but weren't household names either. Five films later, their stars are cemented in Hollywood's sky.

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" hits theaters Nov. 22, 2013.