Will Gary Ross Be Returning for The Hunger Games Sequel or Not?
The Playlist reports that Gary Ross is officially not returning for Catching Fire, sequel to The Hunger Games, contradicting reports from The Hollywood Reporter about negotiations still taking place and a source saying that it would likely be resolved, The Playlist reports that Ross handed in his formal notice earlier this week to Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment, not intending to return to direct Catching Fire. Allegedly money issues had been part of these heated negotiations but The Playlist were also told that Ross wanted to work on other projects.
However, Deadline reported that sources close to the Catching Fire project said that Ross has not yet officially left The Hunger Games franchise. Deadline also reports that Ross is currently on holiday with his family and cannot be contacted. They note how Ross worked hard to get to direct The Hunger Games and how, contradicting The Playlist’s report, he would not want to throw away his chance at directing the sequel.
It seems that reports of his departure from the franchise are not completely definitive yet, as everything is left up in the air. To get a definitive answer, we will have to wait for an official comment from Ross or Lionsgate.
The sequel is due to shoot in autumn and has a release date set of November 22nd 2013. So the burning question is: who is going to direct Catching Fire?
Image source – Vanity Fair
News sources – The Playlist, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline