New Information about Catching Fire Script, Francis Lawrence, and the Hunger Games DVD

The Wall Street Journal released a new report about the status on some huge upcoming events. It says that Francis Lawrence has not signed yet but is close, and that the DVD could be out August or September.

Francis Lawrence Status as Director:Lions Gate,… is now close to a deal with Francis Lawrence, whose previous projects include “I Am Legend” and “Constantine,” according to people familiar with the matter.
On the script for Catching Fire:…the studio has yet to finalize a script, now being written by “Slumdog Millionaire” writer Simon Beaufoy. The author of the series, Suzanne Collins, will have input, as she did with the script for the first film.
“I would call it a collaborative effort,” said Rob Friedman, Lions Gate motion picture group co-chair, referring to Ms. Collins’s participation. “Suzanne has always been very, very involved.”
On the highly anticipated DVD Release:The studio will also rely on the DVD release of “The Hunger Games” to fuel anticipation for “Catching Fire,” a strategy it credits with helping make the second “Twilight” film an even bigger success than the first. Due to the first film’s exceptional box office performance, the studio is considering pushing the DVD release to five months after its theatrical opening, as opposed to the usual four-month window, according to people familiar with the matter. That time frame would also allow it to take advantage of back-to-school momentum in the retail environment.
Mr. Friedman vows to be “very aggressive” in pushing DVDs at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and other retail outlets.

You can read the entire article here.