Well, that didn’t take long. Just last night, we told you about the short list of directors for Catching Fire, Lionsgate’s highly anticipated follow-up to The Hunger Games. Like many people, we speculated that, among the choices, Francis Lawrence was probably the best option. Looks like Lionsgate agrees, as Deadline reports that Lawrence has been chosen for the job.

Lawrence recently directed Water For Elephants, but he’s best known for directing the 2007 Will Smith action/drama I Am Legend. That film shares similarities with the futuristic world of the Hunger Games, and I think Lawrence will be a fine successor to Gary Ross’s throne. Like the Twilight series and Harry Potter before it, The Hunger Games fans have already proven they’re willing to spend big bucks to see movies made out of their favorite books, and the tactic of choosing a different director for every film isn’t a groundbreaking decision.

Take a look at the Mission: Impossible franchise for another example of how bringing in fresh directors can change the vibe of a series. Here’s hoping Lawrence can make a movie that’s just as good as Ross’ take on the original.

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Ever since the news came out that Gary Ross would not return to direct The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire, fans have been speculating about who would take over the franchise. The L.A. Times heard about a few possible candidates, and now The Playlist has updated that list with a few names of their own. Check out the potential directors below.

First off, The L.A. Times heard that David Cronenberg (The Fly), Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men), and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel) were up for the job. It seems unlikely that Cronenberg would take on such a mainstream property like this, since the director has built his career on pushing the envelope and subverting audience expectations; I doubt he’d be interested in something so straightforward. I feel like Inarritu’s past work is a bit too cerebral for this franchise, so that leave Cuaron as the obvious choice, especially considering his work on another hugely successful book-to-movie franchise: he directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

But now The Playlist has added two more names to the mix: Bennett Miller (Moneyball) and Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend). Miller has another movie in play called Foxcatcher with Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carell, so that could end up being a problem with scheduling. But Lawrence, who is the clear choice in my mind, apparently has an open schedule and could start working on this highly-anticipated sequel as soon as possible. I Am Legend shares a lot of basic elements (visual effects, action, emotion) with the Hunger Games series, and since Lawrence has only worked on one movie since the Will Smith starrer back in 2007, he might posses the same creative fire that drove Ross – who hadn’t directed a movie in ten years – to box office records with the original film.

Either way, Lionsgate has a quick decision to make if they want to remain true to Catching Fire’s November 22nd, 2013 planned release date. Who would you like to see direct it?

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There were conflicting reports last week regarding whether The Hunger Games director Gary Ross would return to direct the sequel, Catching Fire. Well Ross has now released a statement confirming that he WON’T be back “because of the fixed and tight production schedule.”

Here’s his statement:

Despite recent speculation in the media, and after difficult but sincere consideration, I have decided not to direct Catching Fire. As a writer and a director, I simply don’t have the time I need to write and prep the movie I would have wanted to make because of the fixed and tight production schedule.

I loved making The Hunger Games – it was the happiest experience of my professional life. Lionsgate was supportive of me in a manner that few directors ever experience in a franchise: they empowered me to make the film I wanted to make and backed the movie in a way that requires no explanation beyond the remarkable results. And contrary to what has been reported, negotiations with Lionsgate have not been problematic. They have also been very understanding of me through this difficult decision.

I also cannot say enough about the people I worked with: Producer Nina Jacobson, a great collaborator and a true friend; the brilliant Suzanne Collins, who entrusted us with her most amazing and important story; the gifted and remarkable Jennifer Lawrence whose performance exceeded my wildest expectations, and the rest of the incredible cast, whom I am proud to call my friends.

To the fans I want to say thank you for your support your faith, your enthusiasm and your trust. Hard as this may be to understand I am trying to keep that trust with you. Thank you all. It’s been a wonderful experience.

Here’s the response from Lionsgate, who will now have to begin the search for a new director in order to continue shooting in August.

We’re very sorry that Gary Ross has chosen not to direct Catching Fire. We were really looking forward to making the movie with him. He did an incredible job on the first film and we are grateful for his work. This will not be the end of our relationship, as we consider Ross to be part of the Lionsgate family and look forward to working with him in the future.

I always prefer directors to remain with their franchises as the films often suffer if they leave (Bryan Singer’s X-Men trilogy, for example), however switching directors was actually a positive move for the Harry Potter franchise, so maybe something similar can happen with The Hunger Games. It will all depend on who is hired to replace Ross.

What do you think about Gary Ross deciding against directing the sequel? Who should direct now?

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Earlier this week we heard that Gary Ross was renegotiating his contract to direct Catching Fire following the huge success of The Hunger Games (it just crossed the $400m worldwide mark). The consensus was that a deal would eventually be made, but yesterday The Playlist ran a report saying “Ross has officially exited the franchise” and informed Lionsgate that he will not be coming back to direct the next film.

Deadine has since posted a response to the news by claiming “these internet reports that described his withdrawal as definitive are simply not accurate.” So what’s going on?

Both The Playlist and Deadline claim Ross isn’t in it for the money (but I imagine he’ll want a salary increase given how much The Hunger Games has made). Where they differ is in regards to Ross’ interest in continuing on with the franchise. The Playlist says the director doesn’t have the desire “to spend another couple of years with Katniss in the Capitol”, whereas Deadline claims Ross has been active in constructing the sequel since work began on the script in November and has developed a “tight bond” with everyone involved in the film.

Deadline expects Ross will be back (unless the deal making “implodes”), but Playlist says Ross is already planning his next project, which is something he has written. The only way things will become clearer is if Lionsgate makes an official announcement on the matter, but if negotiations are ongoing that probably won’t be happening any time soon.

Do you want Gary Ross to return? Or should Lionsgate continue the trend of switching directors after a new franchise has been set up? (See Harry Potter and Twilight).

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Director Gary Ross did a fantastic job bringing Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games to life, but there’s a chance he might not direct the sequel. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the co-writer and director of the $373 million dollar smash hit is renegotiating his contract and trying to get more money for the sequel, Catching Fire, but no one is sure if he and Lionsgate will come to terms. More below.

This isn’t an altogether uncommon practice, especially when filmmakers have a hit on their hands: Jon Favreau pulled a similar stunt after the success of Iron Man, and ended up working out a deal with Marvel to return for the sequel. But there are certainly instances of it going in the other direction, too – most notably, with Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke being kicked to the curb for a sequel to her film, which was also a huge success.

To make matters worse, Catching Fire already has a November 22, 2013 release date penciled onto calendars with a script from Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beaufoy, so I’m sure Lionsgate would like to avoid pushing that back if they can help it. But they might not have any option, especially if Ross’ negotiations take longer than expected and if Fox exercises a right on Jennifer Lawrence’s X-Men contract, which she might have to shoot a sequel to X-Men: First Class before she returned to the role of Katniss in Catching Fire.

There’s no danger of them making another Hunger Games film without the core trio of Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth because the actors all signed three-picture deals at the start. But we very well could see a Harry Potter-esque situation here, where the studio decides they want to bring in someone with a different vision to sit in the director’s chair and take the franchise in another direction. If Ross doesn’t return, who would you like to see direct Catching Fire?

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Based on the wildly popular young adult series, The Hunger Games looks to be the natural follow-up to the Twilight franchise for Summit and the studio’s new owners, Lionsgate. But unlike Twilight, which repels male audience members faster than you can say “glittery vampire,” this film actually has a strong female lead character and considerable appeal past the teenage girl demographic. With a solid ensemble cast and an excellent script, The Hunger Games is much more than your standard “young adult” movie – it’s also a clever riff on our celebrity-obsessed culture in a reality TV world.

Director Gary Ross hasn’t directed a movie since Seabiscuit back in 2003, but he didn’t miss a beat here. He swings for the fences and crushes it; everything from the story beats to the character moments work wonderfully together, wrapped in an elaborately conceived world of fantastic production design and flamboyant costumes that lays out this universe in a compelling and convincing way. Nothing distracts from the storytelling, and it gave me that increasingly rare feeling that I was watching something special come together on screen.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is a young woman forced to grow up too quickly. Essentially raising her younger sister Primrose while their mother drifts through the world after the death of the girls’ father, Katniss spends most of her time hunting in the woods on the outskirts of District 12, the section of the futuristic nation of Panem where her family lives. She hangs out with the studly Gale (Liam Hemsworth), and they talk about the future and getting out of their poor district one day. But when Primrose is chosen as the district’s female tribute in the annual Hunger Games, Katniss saves her sister’s life by volunteering in her place. Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), a boy who’s had a crush on her since they were little, are whisked away to The Capitol to prepare for a battle to the death with the 22 other kids chosen at random from their districts.

It’s a tried-and-true concept that’s been explored on film many times: people kill each other for competition and it’s broadcast to the world through secret cameras. The Running Man, The Condemned, and Death Race all use this story device as a social commentary, and the Japanese film Battle Royale even featured kids as the players. But The Hunger Games is the first film to really explore this territory during the modern age of reality television, turning that microscope around to examine our behavior as a society. “What if everyone just stopped watching?” one character suggests. But they don’t, and neither do we; the parallels couldn’t be any clearer. There are a couple quick glimpses into life on the other side of the screen: the tributes are showered with lavish things, a nod to the way our culture rewards stupidity, and Peeta expresses his hope to keep his individuality, but it’s too late; once he was chosen, his privacy vanished. They make the rounds doing interviews and parade around all dressed up to secure public approval, and cameras document the contestants’ every move once they’re inside the arena. In the world of The Hunger Games, privacy seems to equate to life itself – and even if you survive the competition, the winner remains a permanent celebrity.

The movie doesn’t follow the recent Hollywood trend of being “dark and gritty,” but there’s a certain realism to the way Ross presents this futuristic story. Everything is very matter-of-fact, so much so that even the insane costumes of the people at The Capitol feel natural; the entire movie has this natural vibe like, “of course that should look that way.” Even the digital elements during the Games – when people in a NASA-esque control room conjure fireballs and creatures as obstacles for the tributes – look intuitive and functional. I don’t think there’s a ton of “futurism” in the designs, which add to the drama of the story by making the world these characters live in (and, by extension, the characters themselves) a bit more relatable.

Ross’ direction is clear and concise, and despite the occasionally shaky camera, the film ditches another recent trend by making the action really easy to follow. From the training to the actual games themselves, the movie is exciting and genuinely thrilling, with the only misstep being Katniss’ drawn out reaction to a certain character’s death (THG is a touch longer than it should be, clocking in at 2 hours and 22 minutes). The romance between Katniss and Peeta works pretty well, but because Gale stays behind in District 12, random cutaways to him watching the games feel like forced setup for the forthcoming sequel. He’s practically not a character in this first film – he certainly has no bearing on what’s happening during the fighting – so there’s no justified reason to cut to him. I hope the female fan base appreciates a heroine who isn’t infatuated with a dangerous, unattainable man while chewing on her lip the whole time, but we’ll have to wait for the box office numbers to come back to see if that sentiment holds true.

The cast is excellent, taking a concept that could be scoffed at and fully committing to it. Lawrence embodies Katniss with everything she has, and Hutcherson’s Peeta hits the right balance between strong and emotional. The supporting characters in the story are a little eccentric to say the least, but veteran actors like Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, and Stanley Tucci are game for the shenanigans and turn in lively performances.

This kind of positive reaction to a film only happens a few times a year for me (if I’m lucky), and even heading into this one hearing a lot of positive buzz, I was shocked with how much I enjoyed it. When this movie was announced, I never would have thought that I’d care about it, let alone want to see more, but I’ve gotta say: bring on the sequels. The Hunger Games is a  riveting movie-going experience with energetic action, heartfelt romance, and something interesting to say about our the way we consume entertainment. This one deserves to be seen in theaters, but good luck getting in on opening weekend: some showings have been sold out for weeks already. But, as they say in the film, “may the odds be ever in your favor.” Until next time…

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Lionsgate has released the second official trailer for The Hunger Games which, while shorter than the first one, contains lots of new footage.

Watch below:

Directed by Gary Ross and opening on March 23, 2012, The Hunger Games chronicles a dystopic Capitol which requires its twelve subjugated districts to pay tribute in the form of a teenage boy and girl, forced to participate in the annual “Hunger Games,” a fight-to-the-death live televised event.

Katniss Everdeen’s little sister is chosen in the lottery to participate and Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her place. Although persevering through hardship is commonplace for Katniss, she must start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love in order to win the games and return home.

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Lionsgate have already set a November 22, 2013 release date for Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games which will move forward if the film makes over $100m at the US box office next March.

The company must be pretty confident of its chances, as according to Deadline Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar winning screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, is the top contender to write the Catching Fire script.

The site also confirms director Gary Ross will return to direct the sequel:

He originally intended to write the outline for the second film and script it with author Suzanne Collins (they teamed to do a lot of writing on the first film), but the post production schedule on The Hunger Games has made that difficult. There is no start date on the sequel, but it is high priority. Negotiations haven’t begun yet, but Lionsgate is pushing hard for Beaufoy.

Below is the synopsis for Catching Fire, which contains potential spoilers so non-book readers beware.

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark both survived the Hunger Games. Both returned home wanting and expecting a somewhat peaceful future. But the Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

When rumors of a rebellion that she started reach Katniss’s ears, everything changes. Now, as Peeta and Katniss are forced to visit the districts on the mandatory Victory Tour, everything can and might go wrong—if Katniss and Peeta cannot pull off their act as two madly-in-love teenagers. If they fail, everything they’ve worked for will be gone.

You can watch the recently released trailer for The Hunger Games, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson, below:

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Catching Fire Movie Release Date

Sony aren’t the only studio setting release dates for sequels way ahead of time. Lionsgate sent out a press release today informing the world that Catching Fire, the movie adaptation of the second book in The Hunger Games trilogy, will be released on November 22, 2013.

Liongate see The Hunger Games as their Twilight, and they’ve already said they intend to make all the books into films (possibly splitting the final book). Other than The Expendables and Tyler Perry movies Lionsgate don’t really have any big money makers, so adapting a book series which has sold over 8 million copies could give them a major franchise.

Here’s the synopsis for Catching Fire via The Hunger Games Wikia. Potential spoilers for non-book readers.

Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark both survived the Hunger Games. Both returned home wanting and expecting a somewhat peaceful future. But the Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

When rumors of a rebellion that she started reach Katniss’s ears, everything changes. Now, as Peeta and Katniss are forced to visit the districts on the mandatory Victory Tour, everything can and might go wrong—if Katniss and Peeta cannot pull off their act as two madly-in-love teenagers. If they fail, everything they’ve worked for will be gone.

Opening on March 23, 2012, The Hunger Games chronicles a dystopic Capitol which requires its twelve subjugated districts to pay tribute in the form of a teenage boy and girl, forced to participate in the annual “Hunger Games,” a fight-to-the-death live televised event.

Katniss Everdeen’s little sister is chosen in the lottery to participate and Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her place. Although persevering through hardship is commonplace for Katniss, she must start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love in order to win the games and return home.

Read similar posts to Catching Fire Movie Release Date on Filmonic

Here’s some news that should interest fans of The Hunger Games. The Playlist recently caught some tweets (now removed) by production designer Eddie Mills and electrician Chrys Blackstone which revealed that Oscar winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean’s Thirteen) would be working as second unit director on the film.

Second unit directors typically direct establishing shots, close-ups, and stunts while the director focuses on scenes involving the main actors. Second unit would seem a bit odd for an established director such as Soderbergh to be involved with, but he is a long-time friend of director Gary Ross, having worked together on Pleasantville (1998), and Ross has often read through Soderbergh’s scripts.

Soderbergh’s virus thriller Contagion starring Kate Winslet, Matt Damon and Jude Law will be released September 9, 2011, and his female-driven action film Haywire with Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor hits January 20, 2012.

Opening on March 23, 2012, The Hunger Games chronicles a dystopic Capitol which requires its twelve subjugated districts to pay tribute in the form of a teenage boy and girl, forced to participate in the annual “Hunger Games,” a fight-to-the-death live televised event.

Katniss Everdeen’s little sister is chosen in the lottery to participate and Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her place. Although persevering through hardship is commonplace for Katniss, she must start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love in order to win the games and return home.

Read similar posts to Steven Soderbergh directing second unit on The Hunger Games on Filmonic