Recently
Hunger Games director Gary Ross shocked many by walking away from the lucrative franchise. Once he was out of the picture Lionsgate wasted little time putting together an impressive list of replacements for Ross. After a fairly quick search
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Lionsgate have decided that Francis Lawrence is the right man to takeover directing duties for the sequel,
Catching Fire.
Sources say that Lawrence will receive an official offer this afternoon. If he accepts and a deal can be worked out, he will replace Gary Ross, who directed the first installment of the hugely successful franchise.
Lawrence is best known to moviegoers as the director of Will Smith's film,
I Am Legend, or the under-appreciated
Constantine. This isn't quite a surprise as many insiders had determined that the job came down to only two contenders, Lawrence, and
MoneyBball director Bennett Miller.
The Hunger Games hits theaters on March 23rd, 2012. The film stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland