The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Catches Its Director
Posted 05.03.12 by Mandy
Last month, on the heels of the massive box-office success of The Hunger Games, director Gary Ross announced that he would not be back for the second installment of the franchise, Catching Fire. Today, Lionsgate made the official announcement that Francis Lawrence will helm the sequel.
Lawrence has experience with directing action movies as well as taking the reigns on adapting a novel to the big screen, having directed I Am Legend, Constantine, and Water for Elephants. In a statement, he made it clear that he has plenty of enthusiasm for the project.
It is truly an honor and a privilege to bring Catching Fire, the second chapter of Suzanne’s beloved trilogy, to the big screen. I fell in love with the characters, the themes and the world she created and this chapter opens all of these elements up in such a thrilling, emotional and surprising way. I can’t wait to dive right into it and bring this chapter to life along with the truly superb cast and filmmakers involved.
Catching Fire, expected to start shooting this fall, is slated for a November 22, 2013 release.