Call it "pulling a Yates", after the long-serving **Harry Potter **director, because it would seem Francis Lawrence is enjoying his stint as Hunger Games overseer enough to sign on for the rest of the series. After the director finishes work on the currently shooting Catching Fire, he will continue to make the two-part Mockingjay to finish the series.
Collider was the first to bring word of the decision, and while no official statement has been made yet, it certainly appears to be legit. It's a healthy sign, as it means there'll be some consistency for the rest of the franchise.
Lawrence is busy making Catching Fire, the first sequel, right now. That film finds Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) pressed back into the arena when the devious President Snow (Donald Sutherland) declares that the contestants for the next Games will be previous victors.
The central pair (and their nemesis) are joined by returning faces Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Willow Shields, Paula Malcomson, and Toby Jones alongside new arrivals Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Plummer and Lynn Cohen.
Mockingjay, the third book, will see the growing rebellion among the Districts take the fight to the Capitol. It's set to be divided in two films to allow for a less compressed tale - following the examples of Harry Potter and Twilight.
Catching Fire is set for release on November 22, 2013. The two parts of Mockingjay will follow on November 21, 2014 and November 20, 2015, which means Lawrence will be on a strict schedule for the next few years…