There is no job more sought after right now than director of Catching Fire, the sequel to the mammoth sized hit, The Hunger Games. With Gary Ross jumping ship, Lionsgate hasn't missed a beat with a partial shortlist of contenders emerging last week. Those names included David Cronenberg, Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu, and Alfonso Cuaron, although we knew there were at least four or five more in the running. Now two more have been revealed, one of whom seems like a perfect fit.
ThePlaylist(who have been doing a bang up job following this stuff) have learned that Bennett Miller and Francis Lawrence are possibilities for the job, which is set to begin shooting this summer. Miller has the most cred out of the two, earning a Best Director nomination for Capote and a Best Picture nom for Moneyball. The problem is that Miller is putting together Foxcatcher, the quirky true life crime story that has Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and Steve Carell aboard. It's a project that Miller has been trying to piece together for years, so if he took on an all consuming franchise like The Hunger Games it would most certainly get pushed back considerably. A delay could cost him any one or possibly all three of his stars. Catching Fire would be a major change of pace for him, as well. I just don't see it happening.
On the other hand, Lawrence is the shoe that fits. When Ross left I speculated that Lawrence would be one of the guys in consideration, mainly because he has three major things in his favor. As the director of I Am Legend, he's blockbuster and franchise ready, capable of handling the time crunch of the schedule and the studio demands. He was a contender to direct The Hunger Games back before Ross got the gig, so he's likely studied up on the material. He's not known for his writing, though, and since we know author Suzanne Collins is looking for someone to work with her and Simon Beaufoy on the script, that may hurt his chances.
We'll see what happens, but expect Lionsgate to wrap this search up quickly, possibly as soon as next week. Catching Fire is set to pen next year on November 22nd.
