OFFICIAL: Francis Lawrence Selected to Direct ‘Catching Fire’
According to a THR Exclusive, Francis Lawrence has been selected by Lionsgate to direct the next ‘Hunger Games’ installment, ‘Catching Fire‘.
The news has been confirmed by Variety! Lawrence has been officially offered the job. As of yet, there is no word as to whether or not he has accepted.
After a quick but fairly exhaustive search, Lionsgate has chosen Francis Lawrence to direct the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire.
Sources say that Lawrence will receive an official offer this afternoon. If he accepts and a deal can be worked out, he will replace Gary Ross, who directed the first installment of the hugely successful franchise.
The hunt had been a fast and furious one, with the field narrowing down to Lawrence, the director of I Am Legend and Water for Elephants, and Bennett Miller, the director of the acclaimed Brad Pitt baseball movie Moneyball. Both directors met with the studio today, according to sources, and Lionsgate executives have made their pick.
Lawrence was deemed the front-runner by observers simply because of his open schedule. Miller is working his way to a December start for Foxcatcher, a true-life project centering John Du Pont that has been his focus for several years. Miller has even lined up Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffallo for the drama and pushing it would have been a Herculean task.
One question that Lawrence’s hiring raises is that of the shape of the screenplay. Ross, who is a writer as much as he is a director, worked on the Hunger Games script and was planning on spending two months honing Fire, working on a script previously penned by Simon Beaufoy. The producers and new director can keep working with Beaufoy or hire new scribes to hammer out words.
You can read the rest of the article from The Hollywood Reporter here.
What do you think of their choice?
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- OFFICIAL: Gary Ross Will Not Direct Catching Fire
- CONFIRMED: Francis Lawrence will be Directing ‘Catching Fire’
- RUMOR: Lawrence or Miller to be offered job of ‘Catching Fire’ Director
Category: Catching Fire, Movie, News
Well, I guess he’ll do he’s certainly not Gary Ross but i liked Water 4 elephants He BETTER do CF justice or he dies!!!
hahah YES!
I think he will really bring the love aspect into the movie so that makes me happy
I just hope he is up ready for the challenge of Catching Fire since Gary Ross set the bar so high with THG. Don’t let us down Lawrence!
Agreed !
So long as there isn’t the disaster that happened with the Prisoner of Azkaban in Harry Potter, I’ll be pretty happy. Next question: are they going to do anything with a certain leg in these films or just leave it out?
I’m assuming since the leg wasn’t lost in the first movie, it will remain attached to the rest of the body for the rest of the Trilogy.
noooo! that cant happen! wait, wasn’t it the second book, at the beginning? not sure haven’t read them in a while LOL x
Nope. It was at the end of the first book that Peeta lost his leg. But it would have taken to long to explain the blood poisoning. (which is the reason Katniss had to get the medicine from the feast) So they just had the cut be the issue in the movie. Which of course, with the medicine, got healed enough that Katniss didn’t need to use the tourniquet. (which was why they ended up having to amputate his leg.
I thought Peter lost his leg because of the mutt attack at the cornucopia not the blood poisoning. He didn’t need a tourniquet until that scene, as the mutts didn’t get him in the film version, there is no need for him to lose it in the next.
Peter? ._.
Sorry, but you are sorely confused…Lawrence did not direct Prisoner of Azkaban. That was Alfonso Cuaron, who by the way, directed the best of the Potter films. He completely re-defined the creative vision for the Potter world, which was a good thing because 8 films made exactly like Chris Columbus made 1&2 would have been quite boring. Cuaron was my first choice to direct CF after Gary left.
Lawrence makes the most sense between he and Miller, seeing as he seemingly fulfills everything that LionsGate is looking for, given the tight shooting schedule. Good luck to him.
As Long as he does a good job but Garry Ross Set The Bar Pretty High. Impress Me Lawrence
What was wrong with HP 3? It was shot beautifully. What didn’t you like? Oh. I didn’t enjoy I Am Legend.
I enjoyed I Am Legend, but they did change parts of the book, especially ones that made it so great – so I’ve heard. Hopefully this won’t happen with Catching Fire. I hope they can do it justice! Overall I’m happy with the choice, hopefully he accepts.
OMG he makes HP 3 so different from the book!! NOOOOOOO
This is not the person who directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Chill.
I always really liked harrybpotter 3 an I thought it stayed true to the book
I don’t what The LionsGate team are thinking! But, I hope Mr.Lawrence does well.
I have to chime in and say that Harry Potter 3 to me was the best directed potter film thanks to Alfonso Cuaron. In fact, he is probably one f the best directors around I love Children of Men and Yu Tu Mana Tabien (sp)?)
Why give that movie a hard time when the fifth movie was meh?
Don’t disappoint us, Mr Francis Lawrence.
HANG ON! Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffallo ….
PLEASE dont tell me he’s giving Channing Tatum FINNICK!!!
No, the other director who was being considered is going to do another movie with Channing Tatum, Steve Carell and Mark Ruffalo. But he wasnt picked. Under stand what you are reading people!
So glad it’s not Cuaron! He’s obviously not very good at adapting without putting too much of his own spin on things. I’m not familiar with Francis Lawrence’s work, but I’ll check it out.
I’m still sad to see Gary Ross go but at least he got to lay the foundations, pick the great cast and set them on course for how to play their characters. Now maybe we’ll get less a bit of a different outlook (less shaky cam?.
I’m hoping this new director will let the next films take the darker direction the books demand, especially the third one, but also the constant fear and sense of threat and dread that Katniss feels in the second one. That might be very easy to lose sight of among all the parties, cupcakes and pretty dresses… I wish him good luck.
“the constant fear and sense of threat and dread that Katniss feels” excellent point. to me that is the key to ‘Catching’, and more compelling than the new Games themselves. if it were me, i’d save the Games for movie #3, ending movie #2 right as she goes up the tube to start them, and concentrate on what leads up to it more.
I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now and wait to judge him when the film comes out. I liked I am Legend, although it wasn’t brilliant it was entertaining enough. Just seems like he almost got the job by default, everyone else was busy with other projects and he had nothing on at the moment.
Opinions on his Potter film aside, it pains me thatsomeone actually said they’re glad its not Cuaron. He was probably the strongest candidate out of the directors list out
of sheer talent and vision; ad dismissing him as if he’s just some dude breaks my heart.
Actually his vision, to me, was exactly the problem in this case. I hope the HG trilogy will flow together well as films; his Potter adaptation struggled to fit within the series and I found his vision too ‘strong’ and different. That’s personal of course, some think it’s the best one and others that it’s the worst. But that’s hardly ideal especially compared to the great reception the Hunger Games just enjoyed.
Cuaron is certainly not just some dude, but that’s why I am relieved he won’t be directing Catching Fire. Just thought I’d clear that up as I wasn’t dissing his talent or abilities and I did enjoy some of his other work.
The problem with this next movie and Lawrence will be that you a director who took 2 good books and made them into 2 very pretty and impressive looking but vapid movies. I am legend missed out on the entire point that the main character was the one who became the MONSTER…the legend the new humans feared and told their children about at night. Hence the name “I am Legend” water for Elephants was beautifully filmed but critically paned as vapid. Going with a director because he is “free” boy that doesn’t sound good. I would rather wait for a movie for a good director or have them pay more to pull a director from a project than this mess. Lets be honest people, everything this book is about is happening with this set of movies. They could make good movies or they can make crap movies fast and they are choosing crap movies fast to make a buck. HP made good movies over a long period of time and it made a lot of money.
If you will notice after Cuaron made the 3rd film for the HP films overall took a much darker feel. It was a movement that was needed that the books had that Columbus had not been able to create in the films. He took the “kids” feeling and made the movies into something that adults wanted to see too. It allowed the series to go on for 5 more successful movies.
I’m not saying Lawrence is a 100% sure choice – I can’t really judge him yet. Nor that HP3 shouldn’t have been dark, though this is an evolution through the entire book series that would have happened with or without him. That’s not my point.
The point is HP3 struggles to fit in with the series as a whole (not because it’s darker), and is a love or hate thing for the fans. I don’t think it’s very wise to give Catching Fire to someone who is likely to take so many liberties from the source material and alienate half the audience/fans in the process. It’s just a bit sad. There is I think we can hope for a faithful if maybe a little less “inspired” that hopefully most of us will love the way we did the first Hunger Games, and that will help them flow together as a proper series. Whether that’s what we’ll get with this guy, at least we can hope. He has Suzanne Collins and the actors who know their part and their vision of the characters, so why not.
Lawrence and Lawrence . Ha. SOMEONE TELL HIM THAT WE WISH HIM ALL THE LUCK IN THE WORLD BUT IF HE MESSES UP CATCHING FIRE , HE’LL END UP LIKE CATO. Only kidding, of course he’ll do well.
And by Lawrence and Lawrence I mean him and Jennifer Lawrence.
Yeah if he messes up Catching Fire he’ll have to deal with The Hunger Games fans and we are one big group of gangsters when it comes to our books.
Ha ha !!!!!! Just give us fans the Cornucopia supplies and he’ll be sorry !!!! HE WILL DO WELL !!!!!! HE WILL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I liked Water for Elephants so I am hopeful that this movie will turn out well.
As a side note, I’m not sure why people are still discussing Ross and Cuaron, neither of them is attached to Cathing Fire. I think it would be better if, as fans, we give our full support to whomever the director ends up being. It has to be very stressful to take over a popular franchise. Sadly, no director is going to get 100% approval from the entire fan base (there are those who didn’t like Ross’ work in the first movie.) So let’s give the new director the benefit of the doubt.
I hope Francis Lawrence doesn’t disappoint us…because his movies doesn’t really convince me…Water for elephants (looks boring)
Francis Lawrence is picked cuz he is available. not a good sign at all. but to keep with their pre-destined release date, they had to get someone and fast. at least he has some ‘big budget special effects’ experience with “Legend” and the much better, imo, “Constantine”. local LA news said they expect to start shooting in June to make sure Jennifer is free for X-Men by Jan. it all sound very rushed. have they even started building sets for the very complicated Quarter Quell yet?
Don’t really know how I feel about this. Gary Ross did a great job on the first movie even though some people complained about the shaky camera I loved how he made us feel like we were Katniss. I was really hoping he would stick through all the movies and make it special. But I am Legend was a great movie so I guess we’ll just have to trust him.
Tick Tock. this article is now 2 weeks old and still no final word if Francis Lawrence has accepted the job!????
I happened to see I am Legend again on TV over the weekend and feel much better now about him doing ‘Catching’. it really was beautifully done in every way. i think he can make Catching much better than THG in many ways.