ARTICLE: Why Francis Lawrence is a great choice to be the director for Catching Fire

I'm sure some of you are still skeptical about Francis Lawrence being chosen as the director for Catching Fire and are still questioning Lionsgate's decision. We can't blame you guys. As much as we all love the books to such extent, we all want the best adaptations possible. However, we have to accept the fact that Gary Ross has bowed out of the franchise and we need someone to take on CF. So, here's something that might convince you about Mr. Lawrence. NextMovie lists some great points of why Lawrence is a great choice to be the director for Catching Fire.

For Gary Ross, the idea of readying the film for production would likely include a heavy re-drafting process on the script – which was originally penned by “Slumdog Millionaire” and “127 Hours” writer Simon Beaufoy – before moving forward on anything else. That’s because Ross is even more accomplished under his screenwriting hat than behind the lens and always has a major hand in the scripts he shoots from. 

Not so for Francis Lawrence. Unlike Ross, Lawrence isn’t known for his screenplay-writing acumen and would be more likely to work from Beaufoy’s script; this leaves plenty of time to economize on the other pre-production efforts which will be involved – casting, set-scouting, and production design to name a few. In other words, the span between now and August looks a lot more supple when you’ve got a working script at the ready rather than just a first draft. 

A second major consideration is the visual and creative palette Francis Lawrence brings to the table. So far, he’s directed three motion pictures – “Constantine,” “I Am Legend,” and “Water For Elephants” – each of which was based upon a book. All three movies were semi-large productions with complicated visual aspects. 

Whether it was a Keanu Reeves versus the heavens fight scene, Will Smith hunting deer with a red Mustang in Manhattan, or Reese Witherspoon dancing atop a giant elephant, Lawrence added weight to the moments with excellent set selection. Put simply, the man knows how to create a backdrop. 

And this will be mighty important for “Catching Fire,” as the film will introduce a few new landscapes – Victor’s Village, some of the as-yet-unseen Districts, and an all-new arena (which just so happens to be twelve times as complicated as the first). If there’s anything we can be confident about with Francis Lawrence in charge of the film, it’s that these new settings will be stunning. 

The Twitterverse seems to agree that his former work is encouraging for “Catching Fire.”
@ggetters - Ah I like Francis Lawrence, Catching Fire will be as good as it deserves to be if Water For Elephants is anything to go by
@frannieees - Oh my god. Francis Lawrence directed I Am Legend. I approve of him for Catching Fire.
@MayNadalxx - Catching Fire will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who directed I Am Legend. It’s okay. It’s all good.
@BreeLa91Fandoms - Francis Lawrence sounds like he knows a thing or two about action/adventure movies. I think #CatchingFire is in good hands.

So, what did you guys think? Have you seen any of Francis Lawrence's past projects?

You can read the whole article at NextMovie 

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