The Hunger Games (novel) added to the cast, in the roles of Peeta and Gale, respectively. Production began in late spring 2011 and the film was released on March 23, 2012. The film's opening weekend brought in a non-sequel record $152.5 million (USD) in North America. "", based on the second novel in the series, was released the following year on November 22, 2013. The Hunger Games (novel) The Hunger Games is a 2008 dystopian novel by the American writer Suzanne Collins. It is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the future, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire the script for the film and wrote two drafts before leaving after Gary Ross, director of "The Hunger Games" decided not to direct the sequel. The shooting timeframe was co-ordinated between Lionsgate and 20th Century Fox, in order to allow time for Jennifer Lawrence to shoot "", the sequel to Fox's "", in January 2013. On April 10, 2012, it was announced that Gary Ross, director of "The Hunger Games", would not return due to a 'tight' and 'fitted' schedule. Bennett Miller, Joe Cornish, Francis Lawrence and Juan Antonio Bayona were all being considered to direct the new film. On