Francis Lawrence Offered ‘Hunger Games’ Sequel ‘Catching Fire’
After narrowing down the field to two possible contendersearlier this week, Lionsgate has finally settled on a new director to replaceGary Rossfor itsHunger GamessequelCatching Fire.Francis Lawrencehas just received the offer to helm the sequel, beating out fellow finalistBennett Miller(Moneyball). Though Lawrence and Lionsgate have yet to finalize the deal, considering how quickly the studio is moving on this project, we can probably expect them to do so soon. More after the jump.
One of Ross' reasons for leaving the series — and one major issue that newcomer Lawrence will have to deal with — wasCatching Fire’s compressed production schedule. Because starJennifer Lawrenceis obligated to shoot Fox’sX-Men: First Classsequel in January, Lionsgate needs to getCatching Fireinto production by August in order to hit its targetedNovember 22, 2013release date. Fortunately, (Francis) Lawrence’s late summer schedule looks free and clear, and he should have no problem getting right to working on the script with screenwriterSimon Beaufoy(Slumdog Millionaire) and authorSuzanne Collins.
Frankly, Lawrence is perhaps the least interesting of the names that have been floated, and his resume isn’t quite as impressive, either. Still, the features he has done indicate that he should have no problem transitioning intoCatching Fire. He’s proven his action chops as well as his affinity for edgier mainstream fare with films likeConstantineandI Am Legend. Moreover, one hallmark of his works is his attention to eye-popping visuals. For all its flaws, even his last film,Water for Elephants, certainly looked very good. It’ll be fun to see how he expands on the world built up by Ross and Collins in the first installment.
Discuss:So,Hunger Gamesfans — is Lawrence an acceptable pick?
[Sources:THR,Variety]
