The Hunger Games (film) C. Reilly was in talks with Lionsgate to portray Haymitch Abernathy. The following month Lionsgate announced that the role had gone to Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson. The casting of Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, and Toby Jones as Claudius Templesmith, soon followed. Both got the role at the time they were promoting "". Multiple-Golden Globe Award winner Donald Sutherland was cast as President Coriolanus Snow in late May 2011. Gary Ross, Sam Mendes, David Slade, Andrew Adamson, Susanna White, Rupert Sanders, and Francis Lawrence were listed as possible directing candidates, but in
The Hunger Games (film) production in the summer of 2012. Gary Ross did not return for "Catching Fire", and instead Francis Lawrence directed the film. On May 6, 2012, it was reported that Michael Arndt was in talks to re-write the script for "Catching Fire". Arndt officially signed on as the new script writer on May 24, 2012. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" began filming September 10, 2012, and concluded December 21, 2012; it premiered in London on November 11, 2013, before premiering on November 22, 2013 in the US as was originally scheduled. In July 2012, release dates were confirmed for two films