Lionsgate confirms Francis Lawrence will direct The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire
Lawrence, who is represented by CAA and 3 Arts Entertainment, has experience directing films that make him uniquely suited to handle the blend of character driven drama and high stakes action of Catching Fire; among them are I Am Legend, Constantine, and Water for Elephants.
"Lionsgate, the cast, and filmmakers are all thrilled to have Francis Lawrence come on board as director of Catching Fire. Suzanne's brilliant book is the intense story of the birth of the rebellion and Katniss' emotionally charged journey as she takes on the mantle of the Mockingjay, and we all think Francis is the perfect director to bring the story to life," said Erik Feig, Lionsgate's President Of Production.
"From the very beginning of this brilliant trilogy's journey from page to screen, our first priority has been to stay true to the heart and soul of Suzanne Collins' powerful stories. From my first conversation with Francis, I knew he would make a great partner for both me and Suzanne. His passion for Catching Fire and inspired ideas for a faithful adaptation make him the perfect director for this movie. I know this will be a wonderful collaboration and I cannot wait to get started," echoed producer Nina Jacobson.
Said Francis, "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."
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth will reprise their roles as Katniss, Peeta and Gale, with Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones, and Woody Harrelson also returning to their respective roles. The film will be produced by Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Production is slated to begin this Fall, and the film will be released on November 22, 2013.
The Hunger Games has broken many box office records since it opened on March 23, 2012. It achieved the highest grossing opening weekend ever for any non-sequel film and the third biggest opening weekend in box office history. It has already grossed $373 million at the North American box office, ranking in the top 20 films of all time, and it recently crossed the $600 million mark in worldwide box office.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire comes to theaters November 22nd, 2013 and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Woody Harrelson, Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film is directed by Francis Lawrence.
The Hunger Games was released March 23rd, 2012 and stars Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Jennifer Lawrence, Willow Shields, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Paula Malcomson. The film is directed by Gary Ross.
Comments (13)
To leave a comment, please sign in or use
Facebook or Twitter
moviegeek
Still sad Ross isn't doing this one.
1 year agoby @moviegeekFlag
Kashmanthillet
Looking forward.
1 year agoby @kashmanthilletFlag
SpaceCowboy
Yeah, I've heard "confirms" before already. But if this is for real, for real then I think it's a fine choice.
1 year agoby @SpaceCowboyFlag
Red Camera Man
I bet he'll do good. :-)
1 year agoby @redcameramanFlag
ROFLitschristian
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
1 year agoby @ROFLitschristianFlag
Dan
I'll be interested in seeing his vision of the different districts (particularly D11).
1 year agoby @dan1Flag
Dan
He's not a bad pick. I liked some of the other names that were kicked around better, but you could easily do worse.
1 year agoby @dan1Flag
the MovieGhost
Now I really have to read the second book. But... ASoS takes priority Lol.
1 year agoby @the-movieghostFlag
LuxoIII
Darnit, I was hoping Neil Blomkamp would get the job.
1 year agoby @brady1138Flag
Nicholaus XX
@artkid04 -- That won't happen. If they continue to choose decent directors, it'll be a decent franchise.
"I Am Legend" and "Water For Elephants" both held a gripping premise, and solid emotional punch. They made a admirable decision and chose a good, fitting director.
1 year agoby @XxNickTheFilmCriticXxFlag
artkid04
finger crossed that this will not turn into another twilight franchise
1 year agoby @artkid04Flag
Bawnian©-Dexeus
Ok
1 year agoby @bawnian-dexeusFlag
Superman81
I liked HG but I swear its like beating a dead horse when it comes to this movie. Let the first movie have some breathing room. Movie sites and magazines will nut hug the sh*t out of movie. Makes me wanna hate it and i liked it.
1 year agoby @superman81Flag