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"Director Francis Lawrence has reportedly been chosen to direct Catching Fire, the follow up to blockbuster The Hunger Games.  Lawrence has been offered the post ahead of Moneyball director Bennett Miller, according to The Hollywood Reporter.   Lawrence is best known for directing Water for Elephants and the Will Smith box office hit I Am Legend. He reportedly edged ahead of Miller due to his availability in August, when studio Lionsgate wants to start filming Catching Fire. Miller is believed to have requested a later start date so that he could film Foxcatcher with Steve Carell. Lawrence and Miller were the top two choices to direct the second instalment of the franchise. Lionsgate were forced to find a new director for Catching Fire when Gary Ross stepped down from directing the highly anticipated sequel to The Hunger Games, citing a busy work schedule.  Also in the running were Alfonso Cuaron, Attack the Block&amp;#039;s Joe Cornish, The Orphanage director Juan Antonio Bayona and David Cronenberg.  The Hunger Games, based on the highly succesful novel by Suzanne Collins, has become one of the biggest selling movies in box office history.  Stars Josh Hutcherson, Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth return to film Catching Fire this summer.  Watch the trailer for The Hunger Games below:  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/the-hunger-games/news/a377498/hunger-games-francis-lawrence-chosen-as-catching-fire-director/>