Francis Lawrence gets 'Catching Fire' offer

A
spokeswoman for Lionsgate confirmed the offer but added that the studio
has not closed the directing deal. Lionsgate is planning to shoot the
movie starting in the late summer for a Nov. 22, 2013 release date.

Move
comes 10 days after "The Hunger Games" director Gary Ross ankled the
sequel, citing a "fixed and tight production schedule" as his key reason
for exiting.

Fox is planning to start its "X-Men: First Class"
sequel in January with "Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence -- no
relation to Francis Lawrence -- committed to the superhero pic.

Suzanne
Collins' "Catching Fire" story features a special edition of the Hunger
Games every quarter-century in which tributes are "reaped" from the
victors of past games. Among the key new characters is Finnick, a
combatant in the second book who leads a revolt against the Capitol, and
the head Gamemaker in the second book who turns out to be working
stealthily for the uprising.

Lawrence has a clear late-summer
schedule and can immediately begin working with "Slumdog Millionaire"
screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who's still crafting the "Fire" script.