One of the bigger franchises on the horizon is Suzanne Collins' young adult series The Hunger Games. Set in a world where children between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen to do battle to the death, it was revealed earlier this month that a slew of top name directors, including the likes of Sam Mendes and David Slade, were in the running for the gig. Now it appears that a choice is close to being made. Deadline is reporting that Gary Ross, director of Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, has entered negotiations with Lionsgate to direct the first film in the proposed trilogy. The script is written by Billy Ray (Flightplan, State of Play) and the project is scheduled to go into production next year.

It's an interesting choice to say the least. The books themes and genre don't exactly fit in with Ross' previous work, but it will be interesting to see what he is able to do with it. I can't imagine filming teenagers brutally murdering each other is too hard a task. Hell, if he has kids himself, it might even be a bit cathartic.