NextMovie discussed why Francis Lawrence is the perfect fit for Catching Fire.
We admit, Francis Lawrence's name didn’t immediately spring to mind when we were mulling over which director(s) should take over "Catching Fire" once "The Hunger Games" director Gary Ross bowed out.
Now that he's the chosen one and has been offered the gig by Lionsgate, though, we think the selection makes a whole lotta sense. Hear us out.
First of all, there are some serious time constraints to be considered with "Catching Fire." The very reason Gary Ross declined the job of helming the film, he said, was that he wouldn't have enough time to properly prepare the movie to his liking.
"Catching Fire" has to begin production this August to accommodate potential actor scheduling conflicts and to meet the Nov. 22, 2013 release date scheduled by Lionsgate.
For Gary Ross, the idea of readying the film for production would likely include a heavy re-drafting process on the script – which was originally penned by "Slumdog Millionaire" and "127 Hours" writer Simon Beaufoy – before moving forward on anything else. That's because Ross is even more accomplished under his screenwriting hat than behind the lens and always has a major hand in the scripts he shoots from Fox
Not so for Francis Lawrence. Unlike Ross, Lawrence isn't known for his screenplay-writing acumen and would be more likely to work from Beaufoy's script; this leaves plenty of time to economize on the other pre-production efforts which will be involved – casting, set-scouting, and production design to name a few. In other words, the span between now and August looks a lot more supple when you've got a working script at the ready rather than just a first draft.
What do you think of NextMovie's points? And do you think Lawrence is perfect for Catching Fire?