Gary Ross seemed positively ecstatic about returning to direct "Catching Fire," the sequel to "The Hunger Games," when Moviefone chatted with the director earlier this year.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "Simon Beaufoy ['Slumdog Millionaire'], who's a writer I've been a fan of for a long, long time, is doing the script. I can't write the 'Catching Fire' script right now because I'm finishing ['Hunger Games'], and we're on a schedule where the script has to get written right now. So I'm unbelievably fortunate that someone like Simon is going to be writing the script. [...] That's a thrill. He's somebody that I respect and I just love his work."

It looks like Ross will have to continue to respect and love Beaufoy's work from afar: according to Indiewire's blog The Playlist, Ross has decided against directing "Catching Fire."

Per the site, Ross's decision wasn't a monetary one, but a matter of not wanting to do the same thing over again. That flies in the face of reports from earlier this week, which revealed that negotiations between Ross and "Hunger Games" studio Lionsgate had gone south.

Ross was paid only $3 million to direct "The Hunger Games," which has earned $377 million worldwide since its release on March 23. The director will reportedly get a five-percent cut of the backend, but he wanted a significant raise for the second film, which is set to start shooting in August or September.

Before "The Hunger Games," Ross was best known for his work on "Seabiscuit" and "Pleasantville," as well as for writing the script to "Big." He was instrumental in casting Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games," and the actress said on numerous occassions how much she enjoyed working for him.

As reported earlier on Friday, Lawrence will have time in her schedule to return for "Catching Fire" this fall, since Fox moved its "X-Men" sequel -- which Lawrence will co-star in -- to January.

The Huffington Post has reached out to Ross' representatives, but they have yet to respond with confirmation.

"Catching Fire" is due in theaters on Nov. 22, 2013. If Ross is indeed out, the search for a new director begins yesterday.

早在《饥饿游戏》还未上映之时，狮门便公告了续集《星火燎原》即将启动。据美国媒体最新报道，《饥饿游戏》的续集目前问题重重，不仅导演加里·罗斯因薪酬问题宣布了拒绝执导该影片续集的消息，女主角詹妮弗·劳伦斯拍摄该续集的档期也与《X战警》的续集计划出现了撞期问题，好在目前双方已经协调完毕，各自公布了续集的开拍时间（→相关阅读："X战警第一战"续集明年1月开机 詹妮弗档期繁忙）。

不过该片导演加里·罗斯却表示，他“不想重复自己的职业生涯”，而拍摄《饥饿游戏》也没能得到相应的薪酬，但这只是他放弃执导续集的其中一个原因，加里·罗斯正计划开发一个新剧本。

目前，曾创作《贫民窟的百万富翁》的西蒙·比尤弗伊已经完成了续集《星火燎原》的剧本。狮门计划在今年秋天正式开拍，该续集将于2013年11月22日上映。