LMU alumni Francis Lawrence, known for such films as I Am Legend and Water for Elephants, certainly has much to celebrate this holiday season. His most recent endeavor, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire claimed the biggest November debut opening of $161.1 million at the domestic weekend box office, just short of 2013’s Iron Man 3. This puts the film as the fourth best ever domestic opening and is Lionsgate’s most lucrative opening to date.
Lawrence took over the directing helm from Gary Ross (2012’s The Hunger Games) and is slated to direct the upcoming two-part The Hunger Games: Mockingjay finale of the film franchise. Check out today’s Los Angeles Times interview with Francis Lawrence in which he discusses the challenges and excitement of directing the film along with the character journeys and visual style he wanted to bring to the story.