Francis Lawrence “I AM Catching Fire” I Am Legend Director Confirmed Director For Hunger Games Sequel
Like any big successful box office film we know will have a follow up film when the director leaves the rumours are rife who’ll come in and more successful it is the bigger the name. The Hunger Games certainly got it’s fair share after news broke about Gary Ross departure, the names came flooding in but in the past few weeks we told you I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence was in the running and today Lionsgate confirmed that news, he is the director for Catching Fire.
The lack of preptime was essentially the main reason for Ross departure however this doesn’t seem a problem for Lawrence. This will probably confirm The Hunger Games follow up will probably be a direct adaptation which is a risky road to take as any film maker whose adapted a book its near impossible to faithfully adapt every single part of the film without running into trouble.
I am a fan of I Am Legend also Constantine, I haven’t seen Water For Elephants but I’m sure with the money the first film has made (and still is making) Lionsgate wouldn’t put their faith on Lawrence. I honestly ask myself were David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Tomas Alfredson, Joe Cornish, Duncan Jones, Cary Fukunaga and Juan Antonio Bayona really in line to direct or was the whole thing to fabricate the sequels interest? Either way whoever was going to direct The Hunger Games:Catching Fire was still going to be the highly anticipated film for 2013, when it’ll be release November 23rd next year.
Thanks to Collider below is the official press release from Lionsgate confirming Francis Lawrence position.
FRANCIS LAWRENCE TO DIRECT CATCHING FIRE
‘Hunger Games’ Sequel To Open In Theaters Everywhere On November 22, 2013
SANTA MONICA, CA (May 3, 2012) – LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company, announced today that Francis Lawrence has officially signed on to direct CATCHING FIRE, the sequel to THE HUNGER GAMES, based on the second in a series of books by Suzanne Collins that has 36 million copies in circulation in the US alone. The announcement was made by Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group Co-Chairmen Patrick Wachsberger and Rob Friedman.
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.
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