Let’s hope this guy is good. Francis Lawrence, the director taking the place of Gary Ross in the director’s chair for THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE, has been hired to direct the final two films in the franchise as well, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1 and MOCKINGJAY – PART 2.
Lawrence has directed CONSTANTINE, I AM LEGEND, and WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (the definition of a mixed bag, and I’m not including his J-lo or B Spears music videos). I think that continuity is key for a franchise, with David Yates building upon the fifth Harry Potter film, ORDER OF THE PHOENIX and taking over from there, directing the 6th-8th installments, which were arguably the best in the series. This of course, depends on if the guy is good, and I feel like, given the way Lionsgate has handled HUNGER GAMES, we can safely say that Lawrence is the right guy for the job. At least, I hope so.
THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE opens November 22nd, 2013, with Mockingjay 1 and 2 out November 21st, 2014 and November 20th, 2015, respectively. Given the quick turnaround, perhaps it’s no surprise that Lionsgate stayed the course. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toby Jones, Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Plummer, Alan Ritchson, Willow Shields, Lenny Kravitz, Meta Golding, Lynn Cohen, Maria Howell, Bruno Gunn, Patrick St. Esprit, and a ton more.