Lionsgate is reportedly courting screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who won an Oscar for ‘Slumdog Millionaire.’ By Kevin P. Sullivan Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” Photo: Lionsgate Ordering a script for the sequel to a film that hasn’t come out yet seems to be a quickly growing trend in Hollywood. On Wednesday, we heard rumors that Warner Bros. already has a shortlist of potential writers for the “Man of Steel” sequel, and Thursday (November 17), Deadline reported that Lionsgate has already begun courting a writer for the next “Hunger Games” film, “Catching Fire.” According to the report, Lionsgate wants Simon Beaufoy, the Academy Award-winning writer behind the “Slumdog Millionaire” screenplay, to pen the next adaptation of the Suzanne Collins series. Collins and “Hunger Games” director Gary Ross contributed a lot of the writing for the first film’s script, and the pair had planned to collaborate again on “Catching Fire.” But post-production on “Hunger Games,” which opens in theaters on March 23, has kept Ross too busy to begin work on the next script, necessitating the hiring of a new writer. Ross is, however, expected to return as director. Negotiations between Beaufoy and Lionsgate have not officially begun, but the studio has apparently made its intentions clear. Lionsgate had previously announced that the three “Hunger Games” books would eventually become four separate movies. How those movies will be broken up remains to be seen. Recent film series to have done that, “Harry Potter” and “Twilight,” split the final book entry into two films, but there have been no specific plans announced for “Mockingjay,” the third book in this series. In addition to “Slumdog,” Beaufoy’s other writing credits include another Danny Boyle-directed film, “127 Hours,” and “The Full Monty.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Hunger Games.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos Reactions To The First ‘Hunger Games’ Trailer Related Photos ‘Hunger Games’ Character Posters ‘Hunger Games’ District Seals The Hunger Games
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‘Hunger Games’ Sequel Might Be Penned By ‘Slumdog’ Writer
