Well this certainly wouldn't please Katniss. Or any of the other badass women of Panem (like Johanna Mason or even President Coin) that show that ladies can do anything men can do—maybe even better.
While reports have been hitting the net—ever since Gary Ross turned down the opportunity to helm the sequel to The Hunger Games—that allegedly reveal the directors Lionsgate is eyeing, we can't help but notice the list is so very...male.
And that's just plain wrong. Why shouldn't a woman direct Catching Fire?!
In fact, we say it should be a woman.
While there has been plenty of brainstorming in the blogosphere that mentions female directors, the latest reports say that Lionsgate is actively pursuing the likes of David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuarón, Francis Lawrence, Bennet Miller and Alejandro González Iñárritu.
All more than competent directors, sure. Heck, we wouldn't even mind seeing a H.G. installment directed by some of them (looking at you, Cuarón). But there's not a single woman amongst 'em!
And Kathryn Bigelow would be perfect.
OK, we know the Oscar winner (for Hurt Locker) is busy working on her much buzzed-about Osama Bin Laden film (starring Kyle Chandler and Jessica Chastain!) and—according to her IMDb page—has another project lined up after that, but she really would do a fabulous job.
She can handle the deeper character relationships explored in Catching Fire, while also delivering on the more, shall we say, explosive scenes in the arena. And even though she's currently already got a gig, we say circle back around for Mockingjay.
But there are other women who could (and should!) be considered, because they can do the same:
Like Courtney Hunt, who was nominated for an Oscar for Frozen River and also directed Melissa Leo to a Best Actress nom. Or Debra Granik, who helped Jennifer Lawrence score Academy recognition for Winter's Bone. Or Patty Jenkins, Independent Spirit Award winner for her first feature, Monster (the same one that won Charlize Theron an Oscar), and who was set to take over the Thor franchise before being ultimately replaced…
…by a man.
"We can't confirm anything about the director hunt until a deal is done and we make a formal announcement," a Lionsgate representative told us when we asked if they were considering any female candidates.
We'll keep our fingers crossed!
Here's the way we see it: The Hunger Games is from a book written by a woman (Suzanne Collins, who helped adapt it to film), about a strong and powerful gal (that'd be Katniss), so why shouldn't it be directed by a woman too? Isn't girl power part of what the series is all about?