'Game Change' Writer in Talks to Pen 'Hunger Games' Finale 'Mockingjay'

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Danny Strong

Danny Strong, who just won an Emmy for writing HBO’s Game Change, is in talks to pen Lionsgate’s two-part adaptation of Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy.

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Other writers on the shortlist for the gig included The Cabin in the Woods and Cloverfield writer Drew Goddard and Vanessa Taylor, a writer and co-exec producer on Game of Thrones  .

Lionsgate is splitting the book into two parts, with the movies set for release Nov. 21, 2014, and Nov. 20, 2015.

Mockingjay finds Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) holing up in an underground bunker in District 13. She bands together with a number of rebels to take on the rulers in Panem.

Strong is an actor-turned-writer (he appeared on shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls and Mad Men) who began making a name for himself as a writer with Recount, the acclaimed HBO movie about the 2000 presidential election. He also worked on the script for The Butler, Lee Daniels' upcoming drama about a White House worker, and The Lost Symbol, based on the most recent Dan Brown novel.