Gary Ross

HUNGER GAMES Director Gary Ross in Talks to Helm Adaptation of THE SECRET LIFE OF HOUDINI

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 2nd, 2012 at 12:18 pm

It came as quite a shock when Gary Ross, who directed and shepherded the adaptation of The Hunger Games into a massively successful film that pleased both fans and critics, declined to direct the follow-up, Catching Fire.  Ross wasn’t keen on the idea of rushing pre-production in order to meet an August production start-date, so he politely bowed out of the series.  Ross takes his sweet time when choosing directorial projects (his only films as director are Hunger Games, Seabiscuit, and Pleasantville), but he’s likely been inundated with offers following the smashing success of the dystopian sci-fi adaptation.

Now it appears that Ross has settled on one of his post-Hunger Games projects, and it happens to be an adventure film about the secret life of Harry Houdini.  Hit the jump for more.

THE HUNGER GAMES Heads Back to IMAX Theaters; New Poster Released

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 20th, 2012 at 7:53 am

Lionsgate may have finally settled on a director for the sequel Catching Fire, but The Hunger Games is still busy doing gangbusters at the box office.  It was the number one film for the fourth weekend in a row (the first movie to do that since Avatar and The Dark Knight), and now fans will get another opportunity to see Gary Ross’ adaptation on the big, big screen.  Starting April 27th, the film will open again for a one-week limited run in select IMAX theaters.  Only about 100 IMAX theaters are participating in the engagement, but if your town is one of the lucky ones and you missed the film in the large-screen format the first time around, now’s your chance to catch it before the pic out of theaters.  Moreover, Lionsgate has released a new poster specifically designed to mark the occasion.  Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group Co-Chair Rob Friedman had this to say about the re-release:

“It’s wonderful that so many fans have expressed interest in seeing The Hunger Games in the immersive IMAX format, and many of these are repeat viewers. We’re delighted that IMAX has been able to accommodate them through this special one week re-engagement.”

Hopefully those checking out the IMAX version of The Hunger Games are going to actual IMAX theaters instead of reformatted regular theaters (it really does make a difference).  Hit the jump to check out the poster.

CATCHING FIRE Adds Bennett Miller and Francis Lawrence to Potential Director List

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 17th, 2012 at 5:18 pm

With Gary Ross’ non-return to direct the follow up of his blockbuster film, The Hunger Games, Lionsgate turned to a wish-list of directors that included David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.  While those names were merely placeholders for a director with an arrow’s chance in Panem at getting the job (something we waxed poetic about in our recent podcast), two more names have cropped up that seem to have a bit more validity to them.  Reportedly, some conversations have already taken place with directors Bennett Miller (Moneyball) and Francis Lawrence (Constantine) to helm the sequel, Catching Fire.  Hit the jump for more on these potential candidates.

THE COLLISION: Episode 2 – Talkin’ AMERICAN REUNION, THE NEWSROOM, TOTAL RECALL, and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 11th, 2012 at 8:15 am

After a week-off due to personal reasons on my part, The Collision podcast has returned.  In our second episode, Adam Chitwood, Dave Trumbore, and I talk about Gary Ross‘ potential return to direct The Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire.  We also give our thoughts on the first looks at Len Wiseman‘s remake of Total Recall, take a detour to Mirror Mirror, and come around to Aaron Sorkin‘s upcoming HBO TV series, The Newsroom.  Finally, we discuss American Reunion, and provide our weekly recommendations.  Once again, we encourage you to give us your thoughts on the podcast by either sounding off in the comments section or shooting a tweet @CollisionCast.  We’re still figuring out this podcast, and your feedback is invaluable in helping us shape the program.

Click here to listen to our latest episode, click here to listen to our previous episode, and click here to add The Collision to your RSS feed.  An iTunes link will be available soon.

Gary Ross Releases Statement Confirming He Won’t Direct THE HUNGER GAMES Sequel CATCHING FIRE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: April 10th, 2012 at 7:42 pm

We heard last week that despite Gary Ross‘ enthusiasm for the material, he will not return to direct Catching Fire, the sequel to The Hunger Games.  But there was a conflicting report that Ross, who did a bang-up job adapting the first movie, was likely to direct the sequel and would say so himself once he returned from vacation.  Sadly, that is not the case.  Ross released an official statement explaining why he will move on from the franchise:

“Despite recent speculation in the media, and after difficult but sincere consideration, I have decided not to direct Catching Fire. As a writer and a director, I simply don’t have the time I need to write and prep the movie I would have wanted to make because of the fixed and tight production schedule.”

Hit the jump for the full statement, plus Lionsgate’s response.

Josh Hutcherson Talks DETENTION and Whether He Thinks Gary Ross Will Return for CATCHING FIRE

by Christina Radish    Posted: April 10th, 2012 at 7:35 pm

Detention is a wild and crazy hipster, teen horror-comedy that mixes in science fiction, body-swapping, time-travelling, 1990′s throwback, date flick and a murdering psycho, in only the way that director/co-writer Joseph Kahn (Torque) can.  Cinderhella is a slasher-movie killer who has seemingly come to life and is preying on the local students of Grizzly Lake, who are just trying to survive their final year of high school.  As the bodies pile up, Riley Jones (Shanley Caswell) and Clapton Davis (The Hunger Games’ Josh Hutcherson) are in a deadly and outrageous race against time to save the world.

At the film’s press day, actor/executive producer Josh Hutcherson talked about his first experience behind the scenes on a film, what he thought of the script when he first read it, how grueling the shoot was, getting to learn how to ride on a unicycle, and what it was like to do his own stunts.  He also talked about how happy and excited he is over the box office success of The Hunger Games, and how he doesn’t think there’s a chance that director Gary Ross won’t return to helm the sequel, Catching Fire.  Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Gary Ross Will No Longer Play THE HUNGER GAMES; Won’t Direct the Sequel, CATCHING FIRE [Update: Ross May Return After All]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 6th, 2012 at 8:28 am

Earlier this week, we reported that The Hunger Games director Gary Ross was in tough negotiations with Lionsgate over returning to helm the sequel, Catching Fire.  Initial reports stated that Ross believed he was entitled to more money since he had delivered a critically and commercially successful adaptation of the popular novel.  However, The Playlist now reports that Ross has decided not to direct the sequel, but money was only part of his decision.  According to The Playlist, Ross didn’t want to repeat himself, he liked the first book the best (so does everyone else), and he’s already got a successful career as screenwriter and script doctor.  Ross now plans to develop a screenplay he’s already written, and will do so for a higher payday than he would have received for Catching Fire.

Hit the jump for more.  Catching Fire is slated to open on November 22, 2013. [Update: Deadline now reports that reports stating Ross has withdrawn from Catching Fire are untrue.  They say the director is currently on vacation and couldn't be reached, but multiple sources tell them that Ross is likely to return for the sequel.  We still have no official word from Ross or Lionsgate, so at this point we'll just have to wait and see, but this makes sense.  Ross lobbied ridiculously hard to get The Hunger Games job in the first place, and in his interview with Steve he sounded enthusiastic about coming back.]

Director Gary Ross Still in Negotiations for HUNGER GAMES Sequel, CATCHING FIRE; Release Date May Be in Jeopardy

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 4th, 2012 at 9:12 am

As I said many times in my review, Gary Ross‘ direction was the strongest element of The Hunger Games.  But for Lionsgate, the movie’s ability to make a crazy amount of money was the strongest element of The Hunger Games.  Now, THR is reporting that Ross and the studio are locked in tense negotiations over his return to direct the sequel, Catching Fire.  Lead actors Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth are already signed for Catching Fire (and I imaging they’re also signed for the third installment, Mockingjay), but Ross doesn’t have a deal in place.  He was paid $3 million for co-writing and directing the film plus 5 percent on the back-end.  Unsurprisingly, he would like a raise on the sequel.

Hit the jump for more including why Catching Fire might not make its November 22, 2013 release date.

HUNGER GAMES Poster PSAs Advise Us to Stand Up to Bullies…Then Kill Them

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 30th, 2012 at 8:51 am

It’s safe to say that The Hunger Games is slightly popular, given that it carries the title of the biggest opening weekend for a non-sequel, ever. I enjoyed the flick as a neat twist on the sci-fi genre, and was especially pleased with director Gary Ross’ interpretation of author Suzanne Collins’ dystopian future. However, the one thing lacking from this dystopian environment was a slew of Capitol-inspired PSAs, because what’s a dystopian society without a few encouraging/offensive PSAs? Now that wrong has been righted, as a number of incredibly funny PSA posters for The Hunger Games have hit the web.

Hit the jump to find out what to do in the event of a Tracker Jacker attack, and how to feel less guilty about killing children.

TOP 5: THE HUNGER GAMES Interviews, Michael Bay Turns TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES into Aliens, Teaser Trailer and Poster for COSMOPOLIS, New PROMETHEUS Trailer, WonderCon 2012 Coverage

by Jason Barr    Posted: March 24th, 2012 at 11:14 am

In this week’s opening paragraph I want to use a few lines to encourage reader feedback. The “Top 5″ weekly feature has been up and running since May of 2011 and has undergone very few presentation and/or aesthetic changes along the way. Because I’m thrilled when you, the reader, chooses to spend a few weekend minutes with me, I want to make sure that I’m consistently delivering something you look forward to checking out. That said, I invite any and all “Top 5″ feedback be e-mailed to me directly at colliderjason@gmail.com. Don’t worry, constructive criticism isn’t required. We could all use a good “you suck because you suck” sentiment to keep us honest every now and then.

Awaiting you in this week’s “Top 5″ is a slew of interviews for The Hunger Games, a recap of Michael Bay‘s campaign to turn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles into aliens so as to make them more believable (yes, you read that right), a NSFW international teaser trailer for David Cronenberg‘s Cosmopolis, a sparkling new Prometheus trailer, and all of our WonderCon 2012 coverage. In case you don’t know the drill, I’ll remind you that a brief recap and link to each follows after the jump.

THE HUNGER GAMES Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 22nd, 2012 at 12:02 pm

Suzanne Collins‘ young adult novel The Hunger Games isn’t particularly well-written, but it’s undeniably cinematic.  Collins’ paints a strange, brutal world with a hint of social commentary wrapped in a melodramatic love story and intense action.  For the film adaptation, director Gary Ross has created an effective and memorable experience that’s deadly serious and seriously entertaining.  Rather than playing into the blockbuster elements of the novel, he takes a subdued approach where less is more and “more” is darkly and comically grotesque.  The movie remains tied to the weaker aspects of the book, especially the anti-climactic finish and lightweight social commentary, but terrific performances from the cast and Ross’ superb direction paint a potent and compelling picture.

Director Gary Ross Talks THE HUNGER GAMES, CATCHING FIRE, Deleted Scenes, and a Lot More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 22nd, 2012 at 8:54 am

As everyone knows, opening this weekend is director Gary Ross‘ The Hunger Games.  Based on Suzanne Collins novel and produced by Nina Jacobson, the film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley , Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman and Amandla Stenberg.   For more on the film, here’s three clips and six minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, as well as all our previous coverage.

During the recent Los Angeles press junket, I landed an exclusive interview with director Gary Ross, who did an awesome job on the movie.   Since he’s been doing so much press recently, I tried to ask new questions like what’s his favorite movie, director and actor, why he chose to shoot the movie with a lot of close-ups, the studio’s reaction to that decision, deleted scenes, editing, sequences that were difficult to cut, the sequel Catching Fire, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

New HUNGER GAMES Clip Features Katniss and Gale

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 19th, 2012 at 3:10 pm

Hunger Games week is officially upon us, but that doesn’t mean the marketing machine is done hyping fans up for the highly anticipated release. A new clip has been unveiled that features Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss sharing a rushed goodbye with Liam Hemsworth’s Gale. It’s an emotional part of the book, and I continue to be encouraged by each new piece of footage released. Director Gary Ross seems to have capture the raw essence of the novels, and I’m happy to see that The Hunger Games is gritty and emotionally realistic in relation to the polished and stylized nature of, shall we say, a different popular teen series that may or may not involve vampires.

Hit the jump to watch the clip. The film also stars Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and Donald Sutherland. The Hunger Games opens on March 23rd.

Director Gary Ross Says CATCHING FIRE Won’t Be 3D; Explains Why 3D Isn’t Appropriate for THE HUNGER GAMES Universe

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 14th, 2012 at 9:23 am

Director Gary Ross’s adaptation of The Hunger Games opens next week, and early tracking numbers have the film poised to surpass The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’s opening weekend. This thing is tracking like a sequel, so naturally the follow-up Catching Fire is all but guaranteed at this point. Simon Beaufoy was already writing the script for the sequel in January, and Ross is confirmed to return should the film get the green light (it will). Early buzz on The Hunger Games has been very positive, and many are noting Ross’ atypical approach to the camera work in the film. There are apparently a lot of close-ups and handheld shots, bringing a grounded and realistic feel to the tentpole pic. The director recently spoke a bit about Catching Fire, saying that he would never consider 3D for The Hunger Games franchise. Hit the jump to find out why.

New TV Spot for THE HUNGER GAMES

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 8th, 2012 at 12:05 pm

A new TV spot for The Hunger Games has landed online. Though we’ve already seen quite a bit of footage from the film so far, we still haven’t seen anything from the second half of the movie and for that I’m very grateful. I already feel like I’ve seen all of John Carter from the bevy of trailers and TV spots, but Lionsgate is wisely keeping the action-packed second half of the film a surprise. This TV spot has a few bits of new footage here and there, mostly from the Capitol, but it’s nothing super revealing. That said, fans of the book that are counting down the days until March 23rd will surely be happy to get new taste (however minor) of Gary Ross’ adaptation.

Hit the jump to check out the TV spot. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth and Donald Sutherland. The Hunger Games opens March 23rd.

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