The Hunger Games has shot past $600 million worldwide at the box office, and the sequel, Catching Fire, has a writer in Simon Beaufoy and a director in Francis Lawrence.

All of that said, it looks like the screenplay isn’t quite where Lionsgate wants it. The studio is in talks with Academy Award winner Michael Arndt to take Beaufoy’s script and give it the rewrite treatment.

Arndt won his Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine, and also was a writer on Toy Story 3.

A quickie update for all of you box office junkies out there. The Hunger Games, the first movie based on the Suzanne Collins book series, has now officially passed $600 million worldwide at the box office.

Lionsgate released the updated numbers, showing that the movie—which stars Jennifer Lawrence as one of the combatants in the Hunger Games, where two teenagers from each of twelve districts are forced to fight to the death until only one remains—has made $372.4 million right here in the States, and $228.5 million overseas.

This news is a few days old now, but for those who have not yet heard, a director has been chosen to fill in the space vacated by The Hunger Games helmer Gary Ross for the upcoming sequel, Catching Fire.

Stepping in for the blockbuster sequel, currently set for release on November 22, 2013, will be Francis Lawrence. Lawrence, who has directed such titles as I Am Legend, Water For Elephants, and Constantine, appears to have been chosen only because he was one of the few whose schedule was clear…something that may not bode well for the constantly growing fanbase.

Lionsgate recently made it clear that they had every intention to bring back The Hunger Games director Gary Ross for the sequel, Catching Fire, after rumors began swirling that he wouldn’t be returning.

But apparently Lionsgate’s intentions, no matter how persuasive, have failed them. It’s being reported that Ross has informed the studio that he will not be jumping back into the director’s chair for Catching Fire, and Lionsgate is said to be “in shock” over the decision.

Read a statement from Ross below, as well as one from Lionsgate.

Confirming long standing rumors, the upcoming sequel to the yet-to-be-released Hunger Games feature adaptation just got a lot more prestigious.

The Wrap is confirming that Simon Beaufoy, best known for his work behind the scripts for Danny Boyle’s last two films Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, is working on a screenplay for the new project, Catching Fire.

Apparently Lionsgate is putting all of their eggs into the basket, adorned with copies of The Hunger Games.

With the first film in the beloved franchise still looking to hit theaters, the wheels are turning for a sequel, an adaptation of the second novel, Catching Fire. Director Gary Ross is busy still working on the first film, so with him set to direct its sequel, a writer is being eyed, and Deadline is reporting that it may in fact be Slumdog Millionaire scribe Simon Beaufoy.

The adaptation of the first film in Suzanne Collins’ bestselling Hunger Games trilogy is still in production, which we previously announced here and won’t be released until March of next year, but Lionsgate is already making plans for the next book in the series, Catching Fire, and even has a locked-in release date: November 22, 2013. No further information on the film sequel was released.

I wasn’t familiar with the Hunger Games series until production on the first film was announced, but the basic plot line of the original sounds like a teen-targeted retread of movies like The Running Man, Death Race 2000, The Condemned, and of course Battle Royale (an American remake of which has been talked about for years).