New director named for ‘The Hunger Games’ sequel

Jennifer Lawrence, meet Francis Lawrence, your new director.

Ever since The Hunger Games director Gary Ross announced he would not return to helm the sequel, every District 12 fan around the world has wondered which filmmaker would be tapped to direct Catching Fire.

According to E! News, after weeks of searching, Lionsgate Films has selected Lawrence, whose previous films include the post-apocalyptic Will Smith thriller I Am Legend and the religious action drama Constantine, to take over the franchise, which has grossed more than $337 million domestically since its March 23 release.

But don’t worry ladies, the 41-year-old director also knows his romance; he directed Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon in another adaptation: the period romance Water for Elephants.

E! reports that the short list of directors came down to Lawrence (who is no relation to the film’s star) and the more Ross-like Bennett Miller, whose filmography includes the Oscar-winning dramas Moneyball and Capote.

But in the end, the choice came down to scheduling. While Lawrence was available to start on Catching Fire right away, Miller, 45, was busy shooting a new drama Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carell as paranoid schizophrenic multi-millionaire John du Pont.

Now that Lionsgate has selected their new director, what fans want to know is: who is going to be cast in Catching Fire?

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