The fact that Hollywood studios love a franchise is nothing new, but we’re always surprised when execs decide to greenlight a sequel to a film that hasn’t even hit theaters yet. The latest example of this eager beaver behavior: Deadline reports that Lionsgate is chasing after Oscar winner Simon Beaufoy, the man who wrote Slumdog Millionaire, to pen its adaptation of Catching Fire, the second book in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy, with Gary Ross returning to direct.
As The Mary Sue points out, the fact that they’re already moving forward with the project is probably tied to fans’ overwhelmingly positive response to the trailer that dropped earlier in the week. It probably also doesn’t hurt that the box office numbers for Breaking Dawn — a similar franchise based on a best-selling YA series — are reportedly through the roof, and it doesn’t open until midnight tonight. Regardless of what has Lionsgate feeling so confident, are you excited by this news?