Lionsgate

Lionsgate Sets Charlie Kaufman to Adapt Young Adult Series CHAOS WALKING

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 23rd, 2012 at 5:46 pm

Lionsgate is now in control of two mega teen franchises, and they’re looking to extend their streak even further.  The Hunger Games’ massive box office take (it’s not done yet) guarantees success for its two upcoming follow-ups, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, and given that Lionsgate recently bought Summit they’ll also reap the benefits of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 this fall.  As such, it’s no surprise that the studio has its eye on adapting yet another young adult series, Patrick Ness’ futuristic trilogy Chaos Walking.

What’s strange/awesome about the studio’s plans for Chaos Walking is that instead of hiring a screenwriter to do a straightforward adaptation, they’ve set Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich scribe Charlie Kaufman to write the screenplay.  Hit the jump for more.

Jennifer Lawrence in Talks to Star in Adaptation of THE GLASS CASTLE; Marti Noxon to Write the Script

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 23rd, 2012 at 11:04 am

Jennifer Lawrence has firmly hit the A-list with The Hunger Games, and her 2012 has just begun.  She’s set to appear in theaters later this year in the thriller The House at the End of the Street and David O. Russell‘s adaptation of The Silver Linings Playbook.  She’s also current shooting on the period thriller Serena, and this fall she’ll be shooting the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire before moving on to the sequel to X-Men: First Class.  Now she’s in talks to line-up another film.

According to Deadline, Lawrence may star in the adaptation of gossip columnist Jeanette Walls‘ best-selling book The Glass Castle: A Memoir.  Hit the jump for more.

Francis Lawrence Offered CATCHING FIRE Directing Gig

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 19th, 2012 at 6:16 pm

Following a bit of a mad scramble to replace departing director Gary Ross, Lionsgate seems to have settled on his replacement for the impending Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire.  We recently learned that the studio had narrowed their list down to two choices: Moneyball director Bennett Miller and I Am Legend’s Francis Lawrence.  Now comes word that Lionsgate plans to extend the offer to—drumroll please—Mr. Lawrence!  Hit the jump for more.

Lionsgate’s CATCHING FIRE Director Wish List Apparently Includes Alfonso Cuaron, David Cronenberg, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 12th, 2012 at 12:26 pm

Well this took a little longer than expected.  Following Sunday’s news that Gary Ross will not be returning to direct the Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire, the first “shortlist” story has now surfaced online.  Lionsgate has to begin filming Catching Fire by August in order to have Jennifer Lawrence wrapped in time to be on the set for Fox’s X-Men: First Class sequel in January (there’s also that November 2013 release date for Catching Fire that’s looming).

Given the short prep time, I assumed the studio would be going for a journeyman director to get in and get things done quickly and succinctly.  Thankfully, it appears that’s not the case as the studio has shortlisted a few creatively exciting choices for Ross’ replacement: David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuaron, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.  Hit the jump for more.

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.

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.

Lionsgate Rebooting LEPRECHAUN for 2013 Release

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 15th, 2012 at 5:12 pm

That Leprechaun reboot that nobody asked for is on its way. Variety reports that Lionsgate is teaming up with WWE Studios to take the franchise and “put a modern-day spin on it.” A 2013 release date is planned despite the fact that no writer, director or cast is attached. The series began in 1993 with Warwick Davis and Jennifer Aniston in one of the first roles of her career. The pic was made for a mere $900,000 and grossed nearly $9 million at the box office. It also succeeded in scaring the shit out of me (and Garth) with its VHS cover. The basic setup of the films is that a murderous leprechaun sets out to reclaim his gold from thieving fools by any means necessary.

The franchise spawned six films (seriously) with such horror classics as Leprechaun: In the Hood and Leprechaun: In Space. It’s worth noting that this is a film series that flourished thanks to the VHS market and weekly strolls down Blockbuster aisles that culminated in “What the hell? We have to watch this!” It’ll be interesting to see what direction producers take in a climate where found footage and torture porn rule the horror box office. Hit the jump to watch the trailer for the first Leprechaun.

Duh: Lionsgate Will Make More TWILIGHT If Stephanie Meyer Writes New Books; First Trailer for BREAKING DAWN – PART 2 Attached to THE HUNGER GAMES

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 10th, 2012 at 11:06 am

In case you had any doubt that Lionsgate would make another Twilight movie past Breaking Dawn – Part 2 should author Stephanie Meyer decide to extend the series, Lionsgate exec Rob Friedman is here to alleviate your fears. Per THR, early this morning on a conference call Friedman said, “If [Meyer] wishes to do it, we’ll be there to support her.” While the move is a no-brainer, it actually holds a bit more clout than Warner Bros. saying they’d make another Harry Potter if J.K. Rowling wrote another book. Rowling has been pretty steadfast in her conclusion of the series, but Meyer has been a bit more open-ended when it comes to more Twilight entries; the author previously stated that she originally envisioned Twilight as a longer series. Hit the jump for more.

Win Tickets to the World Premiere of the HUNGER GAMES in Los Angeles; Plus New Trailer

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 2nd, 2012 at 10:04 am

Surely one of the most anticipated films of 2012 is the feature film adaptation of the first book in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy The Hunger Games. For the uninitiated, The Hunger Games takes place in the post-apocalyptic country of Panem. As a means of reminding Panem’s 12 districts that the country’s government holds all the power, one teenage boy and one teenage girl are randomly selected from each district to participate in a televised fight to the death called “The Hunger Games.” Directed by Gary Ross, the pic stars Jennifer Lawrence as protagonist—and Hunger Games participant—Katniss Everdeen.

As we’re about 50 days from the release of the film, Lionsgate has provided us with two tickets to the film’s Los Angeles world premiere being held at Nokia Live on March 12!  Hit the jump to find out how you can win and you can also watch the brand new trailer here.

Lionsgate Acquires Summit Entertainment for $412.5 Million

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 13th, 2012 at 3:21 pm

It’s official. Lionsgate has acquired Summit Entertainment for a combination of cash and stock valued at $412.5 million. This acquisition effectively turns Lionsgate into a teen super studio, as they now hold the rights to the insanely successful Twilight franchise as well as The Hunger Games. While The Hunger Games has yet to be released in theaters, the book series’ rabid fanbase all but ensures that the futuristic adventure pic will be a hit (a screenwriter is already hard at work on the sequel adaptation). Still, Lionsgate is crossing its fingers that the franchise takes off like a rocket. Summit will remain a standalone label for now, but there’s no word on what the future holds. Hit the jump to read the press release.

Help Unveil a New Poster for THE HUNGER GAMES Through the #HungerGames100 Poster Puzzle Hunt [UPDATED With Poster]

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 15th, 2011 at 11:16 am

The release of Gary Ross’s highly anticipated adaptation of The Hunger Games is now officially 100 days away. To celebrate the occasion, Lionsgate is unveiling a new poster for the feature film. Ah, if it were only that easy. In order to take a gander at the poster, fans will have to put together puzzle pieces via the #HUNGERGAMES100 Poster Puzzle Hunt. The studio has given 100 sites 100 different puzzle pieces to debut today. We’ve got piece number 60/100 here on Collider, but fans will need to do a bit of hunting to find the other 99 pieces. Luckily, Lionsgate has streamlined the process through Twitter and Facebook. Hit the jump to find out how you can help unveil the new poster.  The Hunger Games opens on March 23rd, 2012. [Update: The poster has been unveiled, and a high resolution version is now included after the jump.]

Lionsgate Hires Writer-Director for New Adaptation of AMERICAN PSYCHO

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 8th, 2011 at 11:35 am

Lionsgate has hired Noble Jones to write and direct a new adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis‘ American Psycho.  Jones is a protégé of David Fincher having worked as the second unit director on The Social Network.  According to Deadline, Jones pitched the project to Lionsgate earlier this year and turned in a script about a month ago.  Variety adds that the project has not been greenlit yet, but Deadline says that the new version will have a lower budget than the 2000 adaptation starring Christian Bale.  More importantly, the remake will bring yuppie serial killer Patrick Bateman into present-day New York whereas writer-director Mary Harron kept the late 1980s setting of Ellis’ novel.

For those unfamiliar with the book and the 2000 movie, hit the jump for the synopsis and the trailer for the Bale version.

Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns Says THE LINCOLN LAWYER Will Get a Sequel in Addition to the TV Series; Provides Updates on Other Projects

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 6th, 2011 at 1:55 pm

Lionsgate Vice Chairman Michael Burns was on CNBC this morning to talk about what lays ahead for the studio.  In between touching on possible business deal with Summit Entertainment and talking up The Hunger Games, Burns also provided some new updates on some of the studio’s upcoming projects.  Here are the quick and dirty bullet points:

• It was announced back in August that Lionsgate would develop their hit movie The Lincoln Lawyer into a TV series with ABC.  However, Burns revealed they’ll also be doing a second movie.
• To the surprise of no one, Saw 3D was not the final entry into the successful horror franchise.  Burns expects there will be a new Saw someday.  Huzzah.
• Lionsgate is developing a new series with Netflix called Orange Is the New Black.  The show is from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan.

It will be interesting to see how Lionsgate attempts to balance Lincoln Lawyer both as a TV series and a film franchise.  Is Matthew McConaughey enough to draw out an audience that can already get the character at home?  Can the lead in the TV series out-McConaughey McConaughey? (The answer to the second question is “No.”)  Hit the jump to watch the full interview with Burns.

Possible Merger Between Lions Gate and Summit Entertainment

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: November 28th, 2011 at 6:55 pm

Earlier this month, we mentioned that Lions Gate Entertainment’s The Hunger Games must make at least $100 million in order to justify the sequels being made. While there’s no doubt in my mind the movie will make that at the box office, the independent film company does have another source of income: merge with Summit Entertainment. The studio that’s behind the current Twilight series (which has earned over $1 billion through 4 of its 5 planned films) is reportedly in talks with Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. about a potential merger. The benefit to Lions Gate would be a much-needed cash infusion. This, in turn, could ensure the production of The Hunger Games sequels, which could pay dividends for Summit if successful. Hit the jump for more on the possibility of a merger.

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