The Hunger Games may not have been released yet, but Lionsgate has already set a release date for the sequel, and so work’s already well underway on Catching Fire. The presumption has been that writer Simon Beaufoy and director Gary Ross would return, and now TheWrap has confirmed that.
Ross had apparently wanted to write the script himself, but post-production work on Hunger Games meant that was impossible. As a result Beaufoy is currently at work writing Catching Fire, under Gary Ross’ supervision. Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are already tied in to return as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.
It isn’t known when production may begin on Catching Fire, but it’s been slated for release on November 22, 2013.
With it looking more and more likely that Lionsgate’s adaptation of The Hunger Games will be a huge success, the studio is already getting keen that the planned sequel happens as soon as possible. So while Hunger Games won’t hit theaters until March 23, they want the script for Catching Fire started well before then and