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Interested in a trip to Panem? While taking a trip to a dystopian future may not be feasible, there is currently a contest open in which twelve fans will get to visit the set of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Director Francis Lawrence made the video announcement on the movie's Facebook page yesterday.
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The second chapter in Lionsgate's wildly popular Hunger Games movie franchise has finally gone into production in Georgia. In a press release distributed yesterday, Lionsgate announced the start of principal photography on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and released the official synopsis of the movie. Additionally, Lionsgate announced a global sweepstakes that could win you a trip to the set of the movie.
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If you're going to work on the script for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, you'd better have an Oscar.
Before Lionsgate even released The Hunger Games, the studio hired Academy Award–winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) to adapt Suzanne Collins' sequel novel into a script, but after director Gary Ross decided against returning for the sequel, the studio hired Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) to replace Ross and apparently wants the script rewritten.
who is rewriting Catching Fire? Plus ross goes houdini >> Posted 05.05.12 by Ryan -
When Gary Ross opted not to return to direct Jennifer Lawrence in the sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, the search was on to quickly replace him. Just a little over a week after Ross bowed out, Lionsgate is said to have found a replacement — Francis Lawrence.
His directing credits include I Am Legend, Constantine, and Water for Elephants. Before featured films, Lawrence made his mark directing music videos for Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Green Day. While Lawrence has proven he can handle a large production with extensive special effects (I Am Legend), THR says it might have been his open schedule and not his résumé that landed him the job.
Who did lawrence beat out? >> Posted 04.20.12 by Chris -
ReelzChannel Celebrity Rundown
She's back at it... and this time she brought her dad?! Lindsay Lohan, fresh off of probation, is back clubbing and has already gotten into her second alleged confrontation. TMZ reports LiLo is accused of throwing a drink during an altercation with another woman Wednesday night at the The Standard Hotel in L.A. Witnesses say the incident began after a "major misunderstanding" between Lindsay and the other girl. The girl involved was hanging out at a booth next to Lindsay's when the actress tapped the girl on the shoulder and asked, "Did you bump into me? The girl denied bumping into Lindsay and suggested maybe one of the guys in Lindsay's entourage was the one who bumped into her and then pointed at one of the men, Michael Lohan, Lindsay's dad. Lindsay replied, "That's my dad, why would he bump me? The girl said to Lindsay, "You go clubbing with your dad?" Apparently that was enough for Lindsay to allegedly start cursing at the girl and throw a drink in her face. Michael then grabbed his daughter's arm and the two of them left the club. Never one to turn down an interview, Michael was on TMZ Thursday denying Lindsay threw anything and claimed it was she who had a drink thrown at her. We're not sure who's right here, but Lindsay, you go clubbing with your dad?
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Justin Bieber has been busy lately. The 18-year-old has added two new rides to his car collection. The first is a $20,000 Ducati Superbike 848 EVO. Biebs, who doesn't even have his motorcycle license yet, picked out the Arctic white silk model on a recommendation from Usher, who has the black model. And while he's waiting on that bike license, he can drive around in his new customized Smart "Swag" car. Biebs was photographed driving around in his environment-friendly car Wednesday afternoon in Beverly Hills while wearing a presumably unironic "Never Sleep, Always Party" T-shirt. If anyone can make those Smart cars cool, it's the Biebs.
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People are calling her Kate Middleton's double. The English beauty queen who bears more than a striking resemblance to the Duchess of Cambridge is 19-year-old Sophie Moulds. Recent winner of the Miss Wales competition, Moulds has the same rich brown hair color, same 5'10" height, and the same eyes as Kate. And apparently, she's just as humble as the future queen of England. "She's very down to earth and she's very, very approachable," according to a Miss Wales contest organizer.
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Jennifer Lawrence proved that she still has to skills to play Katniss when the 21-year-old appeared on a Madrid TV show and shot a watermelon with a bow and arrow. Lawrence needs to stay in top shape because things are moving forward with Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games. Francis Lawrence has been tapped to direct the sequel, replacing Gary Ross, who decided not to return. Lawrence's directing credits include Will Smith's I Am Legend and Robert Pattinson's Water for Elephants.
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And in 4/20 news — Rihanna doesn't give a f--- when it comes to stories of her smoking weed. The singer was allegedly photographed smoking pot at Coachella last week. When MTV tweeted about the controversy, the singer tweeted back, "@MTV Yikes…. @rihanna ran out of f---s to give."
Posted 04.20.12 by Chris -
The Hunger Games director Gary Ross sent studio Lionsgate into scramble-mode when he announced that he wouldn't return to direct the sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Already armed with a script from Academy Award–winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire), Lionsgate is still trying to make an August start date for Catching Fire so they can shoot with franchise star Jennifer Lawrence before her schedule gets filled with the X-Men: First Class sequel.
The LA Times reported last week that the studio had compiled a list of seven or eight names to take the director's chair, which reportedly includes David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method, Eastern Promises), Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men, ), and Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu (Biutiful, Babel). According to The Playlist, that list also includes directors Bennett Miller (Moneyball) and Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend).
more on a catching fire director >> Posted 04.18.12 by Ryan -
A new series of candid photos from the set of director Jimmy Hayward's Jonah Hex reshoots have surfaced online. While the photos don't reveal anything new about the movie's plot or characters, they do provide a complete 360°-view of Megan Fox's leather-and-lace ensemble, and there are a couple nice shots of title star Josh Brolin in full costume and makeup.
Jonah Hex went into production back in April 2009 and principal photography had been wrapped for months when it was announced that additional casting was needed to complete a series of reshoots. Warner Bros. brought in Francis Lawrence, director of Constantine, another Warner Bros. property based on a DC Comics title, as a consultant to Hayward during the reshoots.
Posted 02.08.10 by BrentJS -
A casting notice for Jonah Hex has revealed that the movie will have two weeks of reshoots starting on January 18. The notice is searching for actors to play Native American "Cassie," wife of Josh Brolin's Hex; a nine-year-old "Travis" that "must be a match" to Brolin and Cassie; and "Jeb Turnbull," the 30-year-old son of John Malkovich's Quentin Turnbull. From this, we can infer that the reshoots will involve some flashback scenes where Hex's family is likely put in danger. Actors are also needed to play "President Andrew Johnson," a "Johnson aide," and a "dead guy."
Bloody-Disgusting reports that Warner Bros. has brought in Constantine's Francis Lawrence to consult on the reshoots. Director Jimmy Hayward is also returning for the reshoots, though clearly Warner Bros thinks he could use some help.
Posted 12.13.09 by Ryan -
Producer Akiva Goldsman is already involved in the production of four comic book movie adaptations, including Jonah Hex, The Losers, Lobo, and Swamp Thing, and now he's attached to a fifth. Goldsman is joining Joel Silver in his decades-long quest to bring DC Comics' WWII hero, Sgt. Rock, to the big screen.
Only, Rock and his "Easy Company" are not going to be slogging through the trenches fighting Nazis in war-torn Europe. According to THR, the Sgt. Rock movie will be set in the future. Previously envisioned as a Dirty Dozen-esque "authentic" war film, the change of time period and locale is said to be reflective of the lack of interest by moviegoers in period war films.
Silver had previously enlisted Guy Ritchie to script and direct Sgt. Rock, but Ritchie has moved on to direct Lobo with Silver so Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) has been brought in to front the film. Chad St. John (The Days Before) will write the script.
Posted 11.11.09 by BrentJS -
When Constantine opened in 2005 to a worldwide box office of $230 million, it seemed like the start of a franchise for the comic book adaptation. In 2006, producer Lauren Shuler Donner spoke positively about a sequel, saying she and a "team of writers" were "really going to go for it" on a sequel that would feature a "hard" R-rating, Keanu Reeves, and a story "outside of America." Then things went quiet.
In 2007, director Francis Lawrence suggested the sequel might actually be a prequel. "I like origin stories," he told ShockTilYouDrop. Then, once again, news of a sequel ceased.
Now it looks like a sequel may be on its way. Last year, Reeves told MoviesOnline he "wouldn't mind doing another Constantine" and he may get his wish. Recently, Shuler Donner told SciFiWire that a sequel "looks very good," and that she is "looking for a writer."
Wait, what happened to the "team?" Let's hope they haven't taken those sequel ideas with them. Fans of the comic would likely prefer a return to Constantine's English roots. Even if Reeves can't pull off the accent.
Posted 04.24.09 by Ryan