"Ross wasn’t an obvious choice to helm the dystopian fantasy, the first from a series of bestselling books about a 16-year-old girl forced to compete to the death in a cruel arena game. His prior films as director are the 2003 horse-racing drama “Seabiscuit” and the arch 1998 comedy “Pleasantville.” But when Ross met with Lionsgate for the first time, he brought a persuasive piece of video — interviews he’d shot of his kids’ friends explaining why the books mattered to them, and what they loved about the series’ heroine, Katniss Everdeen.
“What was amazing was how insightful these kids were about this book and about Katniss as a character,” says producer Nina Jacobson. “It was so clear that Gary was interested in what the fans cared about...”
"...Ross, who is also writing the “Hunger Games” script, will begin casting the role of Katniss in the new year, and is scheduled to start production on the film in the spring."
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