New Director Sought for Hunger Games Sequel?

There are now conflicting reports on this situation. Look for an update to the original story at the bottom of the page.

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It seems Gary Ross will not be returning to Panem. The Playlist is reporting that Ross, who co-wrote and directed the huge hit The Hunger Games, will not be back for the sequel, Catching Fire.

While recent reports said Ross was in the midst of tough negotiations with Lionsgate over money for the sequel (having worked at a reduced rate for the first film), The Playlist says ultimately that was a small factor in his decision to leave. They say his true motivation is simply to work on other projects and not repeat himself. This is not a shock, given both the different topics and kinds of films Ross has worked on as a writer (Big, Dave) and director (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit). Also, keep in mind Ross has only directed three films in 13 years. Jumping right into Catching Fire on the heels of finishing Hunger Games would be very uncharacteristic, given how much time he typically takes between projects.

The Hunger Games Review
Of course, the pressure is now on for Lionsgate to find Ross' replacement, as Catching Fire is currently supposed to go into production early this fall, for a November 2013 release date. The word of Ross' departure comes on the heels of the news that 20th Century Fox has shifted production on the X-Men: First Class sequel to next January, so Jennifer Lawrence can shoot Catching Fire first before reprising her role as Mystique.



What do you think of Ross' departure? As a fan of the first film, I have mixed feelings. Yes, there were complaints (some of which I shared in my review of Hunger Games) about his overuse of shaky cam, but Ross also is to be commended for his non-glossy approach to the material, which captured the dramatic and often sad tone of the source material.

Why The Hunger Games is Not a Battle Royale Ripoff
The question is, can Lionsgate find someone with the appropriate take on Catching Fire in the limited time frame now available? As Hunger Games approaches $300 million domestic box office, there will be a lot of pressure on whoever directs the sequel -- whose script has been written by Slumdog Millionaire/127 hours' Simon Beaufoy -- to deliver.

UPDATE: The plot thickens on this story, as Deadline is contradicting The Playlist, saying they hear from multiple sources close to Catching Fire that "director Gary Ross has not formally withdrawn from The Hunger Games sequel" and that reports of his departure being definitive "are simply not accurate."

Deadline says Ross is currently off on a family vacation and can't be reached. However, they note Ross' passion for the series and how hard he lobbied to direct the first film, ending with the statement, "Unless the deal making completely implodes, we expect to see Ross behind the camera when the sequel gets underway."

Given these contradicting reports, many will no doubt be looking for Ross or Lionsgate to make a statement on the matter soon – but we'll see how long that takes to occur.

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