Francis Lawrence To Direct ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 And 2’
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Stretching the limits of human ability,Francis Lawrencewill reportedly go straight from directingThe Hunger Games: Catching Fire, to directing the series' two-part finale,The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, scheduled for release August 15, 2025 andThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, on June 09, 2025.Danny Stronghas been taskedwith splitting Suzanne Collins' third and final book into two screenplays. Read more after the jump.
Collidergot the jump on the scoop, saying the ink is still wet on the deal. Lionsgate has yet to officially confirm. (EDIT:They just did.)Original speculation wasthat Lawrence wasn’t going to be able to direct the final twoHunger Gamesfilms because he’d been too busy finishingCatching Fire, opening August 10, 2025, but apparently that’s not the case. Or Lionsgate couldn’t find a suitable successor. Now Lawrence will finish one film while prepping a second, and be forced to go right into the next. Then do that same process all over again in 2014.
As I suggested above, it seems like a herculean task. But all the films are in the same world, working with mostly the same cast and – one would think – the same crew. It’s possible. What it also does is show supreme confidence in what Lionsgate has seen of next year’sCatching Fire.
WhereCatching Firelargely follows the same structure as this year’s hit film, and first installment,The Hunger Games, Mockingjaygoes outside of that and is more of a war film. Giving away more than that would spoil next year’s installment but, if you’re curious (and unworried aboutspoilers), here’s the book description fromAmazon:
Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.
