'Hunger Games' Finale 'Mockingjay' Finds A Writer

Despite the fact that filming has only just begun on the second chapter in the "Hunger Games" franchise, it's never too early to plan ahead for the 2014 and 2015 releases of the third and fourth installments, which will be based on "Mockingjay," the final book in Suzanne Collins' bestselling trilogy.

According to The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision blog, Lionsgate has reached out to recent Emmy winner Danny Strong to pen the two-part version of "Mockingjay." THR reports that Strong is "in talks" for the job, which in industry speak usually means that negotiations are ongoing. They also claim that Strong beat out other top screenwriting talent, including Drew Goddard, who wrote "Cabin in the Woods" and "Cloverfield"; Vanessa Taylor, writer/co-exec producer on "Game of Thrones"; and Chris Terrio, who wrote this season's buzzworthy Best Picture contender "Argo."

Lionsgate announced that "Mockingjay" would be split into two parts earlier this year and that the first film will be released November 21, 2014, and the second one a year later, on November 20, 2015.

Strong has been racking up an impressive list of screenwriting credits since he wrote "Recount," the HBO movie based on the 2000 election. He won an Emmy for another HBO political movie, "Game Change," last month. The actor-turned-writer started out his career in front of the camera with appearances on shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Mad Men" and "Gilmore Girls" and has since contributed to scripts for Lee Daniel's star-studded upcoming White House drama "The Butler" and the big-screen adaptation of Dan Brown's novel "The Lost Symbol."

Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1."