The race continues! We heard last week that Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and David Cronenberg were all in contention for Catching Fire — well, I’d say the first two are more “in contention” — but ThePlaylist have heated things up, reporting that Bennett Miller (Moneyball) and Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend, Water for Elephants) are the next two names entered in this hotly-contested battle.

Neither had been so much as mentioned up until this point — nor are they typically on director shortlists, for that matter — though the possibilities aren’t all too hard to deduce here. Miller‘s already working on his next feature, the long-delayed Foxcatcher, having brought in Mark Ruffalo to co-star with Steve Carell and Channing Tatum just yesterday. But Lawrence — not without a couple of projects on his plate right now, mind you — has been almost entirely out of things since Water for Elephants drifted in and out of theaters about a year ago. If he’s a smart guy, he’ll be jumping all over this project while the chance still presents itself. I don’t know if Mr. Moneyball‘s too worried about a hot property.

It’s entirely possible they just drop out of the race, deciding to work on personal projects in lieu of Hollywood’s biggest new franchise. Yet Lawrence, the far more likely candidate, has already shown some basic action technique in Constantine and Legend — that makes him a far better option, in ways that can be taken as both good and bad.

No matter who ends up scoring this deal, we should find out pretty soon. Catching Fire opens on November 22nd, 2013.

Would you like either to helm Catching Fire? Do you think there’s a chance, anyway?