( EW.com ) -- And then there were ( probably ) two . Multiple reports have surfaced on the web today that filmmakers Francis Lawrence and Bennett Miller are the final two contenders for the director of `` The Hunger Games '' sequel `` Catching Fire . '' ( The Los Angeles Times appears to have first broke the story . ) The choice for the replacement of `` Hunger Games ' '' Gary Ross -- who bowed out of the `` Catching Fire '' gig last week , citing the tight production schedule -- are pretty stark . Lawrence has extensive experience with visual effects-driven action sequences from his first two films , 2005â€²s supernatural thriller `` Constantine '' and 2007â€²s post-apocalyptic thriller `` I Am Legend '' -- which shares a similarly bleak tone to `` Catching Fire . '' But his latest effort , the 2011 period drama `` Water for Elephants , '' fizzled at the box office , and landed mixed reviews for its handling of the star-crossed romance between Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon . Many complained that the weakest part of `` Hunger Games '' was the romance between Katniss ( Jennifer Lawrence , no relation ) , and Peeta ( Josh Hutcherson ) , and the romantic angle is far more front-and-center for `` Catching Fire . '' Miller , by contrast , has practically no first-hand experience with CG-effects-heavy action scenes , and `` Catching Fire '' features more exotic locations that would likely call for extensive green-screen and effects work . Miller does , however , have an Academy Award nomination to his name for his debut feature , the 2005 biopic `` Capote , '' and last year 's `` Moneyball '' won Miller wide acclaim . He could bring an actor-friendly pedigree to the franchise , and it would certainly be a high-profile boost to his career trajectory . But Miller has another film , the true-life drama `` Foxcatcher , '' that 's aiming to start production this fall , with Steve Carell and Channing Tatum attached and Mark Ruffalo in talks to join . That project would almost certainly need to be put on hold ; it seems unlikely that Lionsgate would be willing to delay production on `` Catching Fire '' until after Jennifer Lawrence finished shooting the `` X-Men : First Class '' sequel next spring , especially since they did n't do it for Ross . Lionsgate reportedly may have their decision made by the end of this week . A rep for the studio declined to comment when reached by EW . See the full article at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
The choices for the replacement of `` Hunger Games ' '' Gary Ross might be Francis Lawrence and Bennett Miller . Lawrence has extensive experience with visual effects-driven action sequences . Miller is a director who can handle more than one genre at once, but he's not as well known in Hollywood as either Ross or Lawrence.