The Hunger Games and the Business of Global Hitmaking

Director, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Francis Lawrence has built a distinctive career across film, television, commercials and music videos over the past two decades. Whether directing Lady Gaga’s Grammy®-winning “Bad Romance” music video or helming four films in The Hunger Games franchise that grossed $2.6 billion worldwide, Lawrence continues to prove himself as a visionary director and producer with creative storytelling that transcends traditional demographics — conveying artistry on par with some of the world’s most influential artists.

Lawrence returns to The Hunger Games franchise with Sunrise on the Reaping, releasing on November 20, continuing his role as the franchise’s director. Set 24 years before the events of the original film, the story follows the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell, and stars Joseph Zada, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons ,and Glenn Close.

Additionally, he is developing Lionsgate’s adaptation of Christopher Golden’s forthcoming supernatural thriller novel Carry Me to My Grave alongside producing partner Cameron MacConomy through their about: blank banner and is eyeing to direct and produce the project.

Lawrence also recently directed The Long Walk for Lionsgate, adapting Stephen King’s novel of the same name into an intense, chilling and emotional thriller that challenges audiences to confront a haunting question: how far could you go? With an eye for discovering emerging talent, Lawrence assembled a strong ensemble cast mixing newcomers—Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Charlie Plummer, and Roman Griffin Davis—with established actors Mark Hamill and Judy Greer. 
 
In 2024, Lawrence and producer Cameron MacConomy’s production company, about: blank, inked a firstlook picture deal with Lionsgate, continuing their long-standing collaboration with the studio. Through about: blank, Lawrence continues to develop projects that balance commercial appeal with creative ambition. 

Lawrence made his filmmaking debut in 2005 with Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz, followed by the 2007 post-apocalyptic I Am Legend with Will Smith. His filmography spans genres from the romantic drama Water for Elephants, released in 2011 and starring Academy Award®-winning actress Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, to the 2018 spy thriller Red Sparrow with Jennifer Lawrence, to Netflix’s family adventure Slumberland with Jason Momoa. The thread connecting Lawrence’s work is his clear ability to find humanity in the spectacular.

His television work includes executive producing and directing AppleTV+’s See and STARZ’s The Serpent Queen, along with earlier series Kings and FOX’s Touch starring Kiefer Sutherland.

Prior to his work in film and television, Lawrence established himself directing music videos for wellknown artists including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Britney Spears, and Janet Jackson, earning Grammy® and Latin Grammy® awards for his work with Lady Gaga and Shakira. His commercial portfolio includes campaigns for Gap, Calvin Klein, Coca-Cola and L’Oréal, among others.

Producer, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Nina Jacobson has built an extraordinary career spanning over three decades, earning recognition as one of the entertainment industry's most accomplished and influential producers. A former senior film executive at three major motion picture studios, Jacobson founded the independent production company Color Force in 2007. Her first project as a producer—and the first for Color Force—was Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which grossed over $75 million worldwide and spawned three popular sequels. Jacobson went on to produce The Hunger Games franchise based on Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novels. Collectively, the franchise has grossed $3.3 billion worldwide, featuring, most recently, the prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and the 2026 follow-up prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which premieres this November. Jacobson’s feature-producing credits also include the groundbreaking film Crazy Rich Asians, based on Kevin Kwan’s international best-seller for Warner Bros., and Ben Is Back, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to critical acclaim.  

Jacobson, along with her Color Force partner Brad Simpson, made a successful leap into television with The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, which they executive produced alongside Murphy. The show was an instant hit, receiving 22 Emmy® nominations and winning nine, including Outstanding Limited Series, and was nominated for five Golden Globe® Awards, winning two. Its follow-up, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, garnered 18 Emmy nominations and seven wins, as well as four Golden Globe nominations and two wins. Jacobson also produced the critically acclaimed series Pose for FX, as well as Impeachment: American Crime Story, Clipped, Y: The Last Man, American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, and Say Nothing, a gripping account of the early years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. 

Jacobson and Simpson have had a banner year on the television side, producing a number of high-profile series alongside Murphy. Their critically and commercially acclaimed limited series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette received seven Emmy nominations and one win. The dazzling production chronicles the captivating yet tragic romance that remains an indelible part of the American zeitgeist. They followed with the FX series adaptation of The Shards, the 2023 New York Times bestseller from Bret Easton Ellis. Loosely based on Ellis’s own life growing up in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, the series premiered this August. Jacobson and Simpson, alongside Murphy, executive produced All’s Fair, which achieved the largest debut for a scripted Hulu Original in three years, pulling in 3.2 million global views in its first three days; the show returns for its second season this November. 

Prior to forming Color Force, Jacobson was president of the Walt Disney Motion Picture Group, where she oversaw script development and film production for Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, and Hollywood Pictures. During her tenure, Jacobson’s slate of iconic cultural touchstones included Pirates of the Caribbean, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Freaky Friday, The Royal Tennenbaums, The Sixth Sense, and The Princess Diaries.  

Before joining the Walt Disney Motion Picture Group, Jacobson was a senior film executive at DreamWorks SKG, where she developed What Lies Beneath and originated the idea of DreamWorks’ first animated feature Antz. She also held positions at Universal, Parkes/MacDonald Productions, Silver Pictures and began her career at Disney Sunday Movie. 

A passionate advocate for equity and human rights, Jacobson serves on the board of Freedom House, a non-profit non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. She is a graduate of Brown University and lives in the Pacific Palisades with her wife Jennifer, their two dogs, and a cat.