The shortlist of potential directors for Catching Fire, the second The Hunger Games movie, has some new additions…
A quick recap. The Hunger Games is very good. It has made lots of money. Due to scheduling problems, in part caused by Jennifer Lawrence’s commitment to the next X-Men movie, director Gary Ross has passed on the chance to helm Catching Fire, the next story in The Hunger Games series. This has left Lionsgate in need of a new director, with a tight deadline to meet before Lawrence is needed elsewhere.
Thus, Lionsgate had a shortlist of directors, it was revealed last week, that included Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and David Cronenberg. According to The Playlist, there are a couple of new contenders for Catching Fire’s director’s chair, too.
First up, then, there’s Bennett Miller, who steered Moneyball to Oscar nominations. He also inherited the project quite late in the day, as it was originally set to be made by Steven Soderbergh. That kind of experience might just prove useful here. However, he also may have a scheduling issue, given that he’s lined up Foxcatcher to shoot in the autumn. If that’s not movable, then his involvement in Catching Fire might just be kyboshed right there.
Which then might open the door for the next candidate, Francis Lawrence. Lawrence has done genre movies before, in the shape of Constantine and I Am Legend, and his last project was the recent Water For Elephants. He’s proven in the past he can wrestle special effects, and crucially for Lionsgate, he has no other project he’s set to film in the next few months.
Lionsgate should be making it decision shortly, and we’ll keep you posted as to what happens next…
The Playlist
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