(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."
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The choices for the replacement of "Hunger Games'" Gary Ross might be Francis Lawrence and Bennett Miller
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Lawrence has extensive experience with visual effects-driven action sequences
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Miller does have an Academy Award nomination to his name for his debut feature
@placeholder, 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.