UPDATE According to Celebuzz :
While many have expressed their devastation at the news that director Gary Ross would not be returning to direct The Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, a source close to the situation tells Celebuzz that “nothing is official.”
Read more from Celebuzz HERE
The Playlist is exclusively reporting that Hunger Games director Gary Ross has left negotiations and will not direct sequel Catching Fire. I’m personally kind of devastated by this news because I loved his vision for the world that Katniss lives in, but I am hopeful for what director they can get to take the helm.
The Playlist has learned that Gary Ross has officially exited the franchise and will not direct the sequel, formally giving Lionsgate and Summithis notice earlier this week, that he will not be coming back.
Though recent trade reports have spun the story as being an issue mostly about money, that’s pretty much a small part of the motivation. Ross has never been a filmmaker that repeats himself (going from satire in “Pleasantville” to horse racing drama in “Seabiscuit” and action in “The Hunger Games“) and we’re told the burning desire simply isn’t there to spend another couple of years with Katniss in the Capitol (evidently, he also liked the first book best). And while the lowball salary offer probably didn’t help, Ross already has a fairly lucrative career as a screenwriter (and rewriter) and money isn’t really the issue. Simply put, the filmmaker is looking to change things up for this next effort.
While the details on what that project will be are still coming together, we’re told it will be something he has written that (ironically) will earn him a better payday that he would’ve received on “Catching Fire.” Essentially, it’s a win-win for Ross, who gets to move on to a project he developed for this fourth feature, and will allow him to do something different.
We’ve seen a couple of articles recently suggesting who might be able to handle the sequel. Who would you like to see?
But I’ll miss Gary Ross. He’s a phenomenal film-maker.
Let’s hope the new director doesnt do what the twilight directors do and say they want to “put their own stamp on it”.
Really saddened by this :/
SHAKY CAM MUST DIE!!!!
I actually vomited during The Hunger Games because of the filming.
So the next director should make sure that his audience for Catching Fire doesn’t BARF because he or she wants to conform to the new fad of “first person,” “documentary,” or “Life-life” filming.
Personally, If I could chose any director to direct ‘Catching Fire’ [apart from Ross, obviously], I would chose Joe Wright (‘Atonement’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Hanna’). Joe has a lot of experience in adaptations. He has also directed both love/drama films as well as war/action films. He would be a good fit, I believe. Also, 95% of his films are of high rating, so he’s a safe choice for the studios.
But, we must accept and move on.
I’d like to suggest Patty Jenkins…
I think that would be very cool.