Following the departure of The Hunger Games director Gary Ross during pre-production on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Lionsgate have moved to protect themselves against another last-minute scramble to find a replacement for the closing two-part adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-selling book series, with Collider revealing that the studio has finalised a deal with Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence to helm The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Parts 1 and 2. Released back in March of this year, The Hunger Games went on to earn an impressive $686.5m at the global box-office and cameras are currently rolling on the second instalment, with Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth reprising their roles alongside the likes Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master), Jena Malone (Donnie Darko) and Amanda Plummer (Pulp Fiction). Lawrence, Hutcherson and Hemsworth are also confirmed as returning for Mockingjay, which is currently being scripted by Danny Strong (Game Change, The Lost Symbol).
Here's a short synopsis for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, taken from a press release issued by Lionsgate to confirm Francis Lawrence's appointment:
"THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PARTS 1 and 2 make up the third and fourth installments of heroine Katniss Everdeen’s journey as she leads the districts of Panem in a rebellion against the tyrannical and corrupt Capitol. As the war that will determine the fate of Panem escalates, Katniss must decipher for herself who she can trust and what needs to be done, with everything she cares for in the balance."
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is set to open in cinemas on November 22nd, 2013, with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 following on November 21st, 2014 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 completing the series on November 20th, 2015.
