Gary Ross in Negotiations for ‘Catching Fire’

Hm…I wonder how many people commenting on Ross’s directing actually know what they’re talking about. They must all be directors as well.

Gary Ross had two great contributions to the film:

1) The casting – He had a very strong vision about the cast and he did not buckle under fan pressure and fan favorites. Had it not been for this guy Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson would not have been cast considering both of them were at the bottom of the barrel in fan centric polls. Catching Fire will introduce two principal characters namely, Finnick and Johanna. It would be nice to see Gary Ross pick the right actors for the completion of his vision. I don’t want to see just some pretty face up there because some majority of the internet says that the person is perfect for the role.

2. Gary Ross put his foot down on certain script decisions. He wrote the script and I think much of what we miss was in the original script but didn’t make it due to time constraints. Who knows without this man we would have been stuck with a movie wherein Gale goes to the Capitol to declare his love for Katniss (thereby completely changing the story). It makes me wonder if it was Gary Ross’ effort that scene was taken out…Did Suzanne Collins approve that Gale scene? However, the worst script decision Gary Ross had for me was the inclusion of the scenes with Snow and Seneca Crane…it just felt so out of place.

However, the most troubling thing about Gary Ross is his desire not to have an extended edition when the work screams otherwise. Who knows, maybe they didn’t get to shoot everything? But from the behind the scenes footage and all the production pictures that are coming out, we do know that they are not showing us the full work.

Personally, I’m not sure what to think. I’m worried that if he is gone certain brash edits will be added to Catching Fire. I do know that he has already spoken about his vision for Catching Fire and from what I have read that is the movie that will develop things between Katniss and Peeta. In the realm of relationships, THG was all about learning to trust each other (in the words of Gary Ross). Catching Fire will be about development.

After reading most of the comments, I just want to say that if you haven’t seen the movie twice, I would cough up some money and get your butt to the theater again. I wasn’t concerned about the changes, tweaks, and shaky camera the second time around. I just sat there and watched, what I thought, was a great movie. I think Gary Ross (and Suzanne Collins, lets not forget) did a good job adapting a book that had a LOT of characters, plot, and very specific details regarding settings, costumes, and overall design. Did I think it was perfect? No. I still miss certain aspects of the book that weren’t in the movie, but I understand that things had to be changed because movies and books are completely different mediums. If Gary Ross doesn’t come back, I’ll be disappointed because we may not get a director who loves the book series as much as he does. Directing is an art form and risks need to be taken.

Seriously, go see the movie again. You’ll just be able to relax a bit. You know what’s been changed. Just watch Jennifer Lawrence and the rest of the cast put on a good show.

IDK buuut….. do you think Christopher Nolan would be an awesome director for the next one?
I’m ok with Gary because some of the things he added was BRILLIANT. He made all those hidden messages… It was BEAUTIFUL. But what really bugged me is the shaky camera. Not anymore though. I thought it’s a little better because you see it sort of in Katniss’s point of view.

he better come back…………PLEASE!!!!!!!

Like he’ll say no. The dude will NEVER have another hit like this again. This is literally a once in a lifetime opportunity.

@Charlotte- I agree with you about the shaky camera. I actually loved it. I think it conveyed the mood perfectly, and yes, it made me dizzy, but that to me was actually a good thing. The entire film was incredibly visceral and sensory and that to me, was one of the best things about the movie. I think Gary Ross did a spectacular job. I figure, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I think he’s an amazing director and cares deeply about the series and I’ll stand by whatever he does because I trust him and I think he’s brilliant. I really hope they bring him back.

@Vicky – could not agree more. I had such low expectations after the first viewing, but I was really pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the movie the second time, and how much more I’ve grown to like it since then.

And I also loved the shaky cam. Pulled me right into the story at the beginning and never let go.

Meh. I’m willing to see what another director can do. Gary Ross turned me way off with the shaky camera. No matter how brilliant anything else may have come out, if I can’t focus on the dang scene, then it’s all so useless.

I’ll be very disappointed if he doesn’t come back. They can easily up his salary and his percentage and still make a huge profit. He is the vision for this world and did a great job. I loved the shaky cam, it put you into the world and has already said he was planning something completely different for CF.

As for those complaining about no directors cut. Very rarely do director cuts come out. The only time they usually do is if the director feels they were forced to make cuts by the studio and I don’t believe he does. That means what we saw was his directors cut. Look at all the HP movies. There are hundreds of hours of extra footage and we haven’t seen a directors cut of any of the 8 movies. We never will as what we saw was their directors cuts too.

Realistically speaking if Lionsgate is having a hard time with Gary Ross what do you think will happen with Christopher Nolan or Peter Jackson? The tab for those guys must be enormous!

But yes Gary Ross will be foolish to turn this down. He will get so much even with just 5% backend!

Gary HAS to come back D:

To be honest, I’m gonna worry if he doesn’t come back.

He did an OK job, so I’m hoping for someone who does a GREAT JOB

There are far better ways to “hide” violence than a shaky camera and zooming in on characters faces.

But thats not what worries me but how this movie was so shallow about what THE HUNGER GAMES are about that I have to explain the whole thing to everyone who hasnt read the book.

Well, I think Gary Ross did I fine job. To be honest, he did more than direct te film but also wrote the script witht he author of the book. They have already talked about what they want to do for CF. To me, it says a lot when the author wants to be involved in the film, even more than just writing. I know that it is not based on that but merely Lionsgate to agree on a price to pay and for that I hope they both agree so Gary Ross can continue what he started
*and to the person that suggested Chirstopher Nolan direct CF, I think directs like that would be a bad idea. I don’t want, and I’m sure I can speak for a lot of other fans, another LOTR, Harry Potter etc…I want Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. Gary Ross stated that he wants to make the film style different than all those other big films by doing things different. Well, he did them different and at the same time made a GREAT film.

I think Gary Ross should direct the remaining films because that way continuity is maintained throughout the series, there´s a lower risk of inconsistency and contradictions when the same people do all the movies, I know 3 million sounds like a lot of money, but I read somewhere that Spielberg gets paid somewhere around 80 million. Granted Spielberg is on another level, but I´m afraid Lionsgate is willing to sacrifice the quality of the film, studios are all about profit, thg has proved to be extremely succesful, so why not just make buckloads of money? Who cares whether catching fire and subsequent films are good, critically acclaimed or loved by the fans? That the mindset of studio executives. Let´s hope for the best. I think they will all eventually come around. Gary Ross is very invested in the movie, he has talked extensively about his ideas for cf, he is passionate about the books, if money and money alone ends up being the only reason why he (hopefully not) doesn´t sign on, I´ll be very disappointed. It´ll be like seeing a rebel join the Capitol.

@Death2analog
I would like to see you try to direct this then and see how you do. If you watch the cinematography of the film the shaky camera is actually used to represent being in Katniss’s head which not the many people seem to notice. Gary Ross was a brilliant director and he created such a jarring, real film. It was beautifully done and if he leaves he project, I guarentee you that the second and third films will never have the same realness and be so down to earth as this film was. Who knows if they find a new director he/she might make it in 3D or something and that would just ruin it completely. All that said, I think that Gary Ross wil eventually settle with any amount of money he is offered (which I do hope is a raise) and finish the project because he seems too invested to not finish it. That is all

It would be interesting to see if other Director makes “Catching Fire”. But, Lets face it Gary Ross knows what he was doing for The Hunger games and did absolutely an incredible job!
He’s a huge fan of the series and understands everything. He should not be fired or whatever the word is for the situation.

I don’t see what the problem with giving Gary Ross a raise is. His vision of THG along with the casting, screenwriting, down to the music that was chosen to be in the film were amazing choices and I honestly cannot think of any other director for this film. I mean given the success of THG, Lionsgate is obviously going to increase the budget so why not give him an increase in his pay? They could easily come to an agreement but in doing so they risk losing the genius mind of Gary Ross. I mean this film was as close an adaptation of the book that I’ve ever seen. It did and still is doing very well in the box office and theaters across the country and around the world. I know all the studios care is about making profits so doesn’t that saying “you need money to make money” apply here. Why not just give Gary his $3 million and a bit more of the revenue or whatever it is and avoid the risk of losing millions of dollars in box office revenues when Catching Fire come out, if they chose another director? I mean you get what you pay for. Ok granted he wasn’t paid that much for THG, but now seeing what a success the film is and we all know how passionate and dedicated he is to bringing this series, these characters to life. Why mess up a good thing?

Obviously Peter Jacqueson would be the best director. His name alone on this book adaptation would probably make the sequel a blockbuster. If I had the power to go back in time and make him the director of the Hunger Games I would. God, I would seriously watch Catching Fire 10 times in theaters if Peter Jacqueson was the director. I’m completely obsessed with his work… lol.

What shaky camera? lol.

I SAY MICHEL BAY SHOULD DIRECT I WANT BAYHAM

OMG, Bay would be a disaster. All slo-mo shots of women either half-naked or screaming at some disaster overhead. Or both.

I would very much like to see him return. Though I could have done without some of the shakey camera, I felt that through his direction, the theme of the film was handled with reverent respect, and the way he relates to the material in interviews shows that he’ll do a good job to do justice to the series. I would like to see as many people as possible return to do the next movies, so long as they continue to passionately, sincerely respect what they’re creating.

NOOOOOOOO PLEASE GARY DON’T LEAVE US!!!!!! YOU NEED TO DO CATCHING FIRE WHY THE HELL IS LIONSGATE COMPLAINING? GARY BROUGHT THEM MILLIONS OF DOLLARS JUST GIVE HIM THE FREAKING RAISE IN LIKE THREE OR FIVE YEARS YOU WOULD BE MAKING EVEN MORE MONEY SO STOP COMPLAINING!!! PLEASE WE NEED GARY BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS AND DOES IT RIGHT!!!

Personally, I think Gary’s direction was one of the best aspects of the film (along with some superb acting performances, obviously). In addition, while he did a great job of preserving the canon story, he also gave the film a distinct signature style…that’s what good directors do. I’d like to see that maintained for the entire series. I like that kind of consistency in a film series…something the Potter film glaringly lacked.