Lionsgate officially announced Francis Lawrence as the director of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on May 3, 2012. Bennett Miller was also reported to be in the running for director.
Josh Hutcherson on Francis:
“Francis Lawrence is extremely talented,” he said. “I’ve heard he’s the nicest guy in the world. I’m really excited to see what he’s going to do with it.”
Jennifer Lawrence on Francis:
The new movie will be very real, which is what I’m excited about,” she told 24 Frames of “Catching Fire,” which Francis Lawrence will direct. “I really like his take, which is a lot of what I liked in Gary Ross,” she added. “It’s the realistic grasp of the story instead of all the details of the imaginary things.”
Nina Jacobson (Color Force), Jon Kilik