Lionsgate Wants ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Writer To Script ‘Hunger Games’ Sequel. Fair Enough!
Man of Steel isn’t the only non-released movie whose sequels are getting attention. Even though Katniss and Her Bow Of Glory hasn’t seen their first movie released, there is already movement on adapting the second book of the trilogy.
Is this an indication that Lionsgate was happy with the reception given the trailer for The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross? The first film based on Suzanne Collins‘ teen-oriented Battle Royale-revamp novel trilogy won’t be released until March 2012, and a sequel based on the second novel, Catching Fire, is yet to get the green light.
But Lionsgate is doing what so many studios do lately: hiring a writer to get a script ready for the sequel. The studio has sights set on Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours screenwriter Simon Beaufoy to write Catching Fire, which Ross will likely return to direct.
Getting a script in motion now means that if The Hunger Games performs in its first weekend, a follow-up can get moving quickly. Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins did a lot of writing on the first film and the original plan was for them to script the sequel. But the workload of post-production on The Hunger Games has proven to be demanding, so Lionsgate is trying to secure Beaufoy to pen a draft. If hired, he’ll likely work closely with Collins and then Ross could step in to do further polish.
There isn’t any done deal yet – Deadline reports that this is what Lionsgate wants, but that talks haven’t begun – but Beaufoy’s recent track record is certainly good. Not having read Collins’ novels I can’t say if he’s right for this specific material, but Beaufoy is known for having a character-oriented approach and a certain nimbleness with switches in tone. He’s also got a thing for scripting stories about normal people thrust into a certain type of fame and/or extraordinary circumstances, so I can see why he’d have appeal for this project.
Sounds good to me? A convergence of enjoyment! I loved the trailer for the movie, I enjoyed the books, and I dug Slumdog Millionaire. Win-win-win.