Lionsgate is not wasting any time when it comes to The Hunger Games, their franchise based on the series of books by author Suzanne Collins.

After the first movie blasted into theaters and threw down huge numbers, we found out that the studio was hiring Francis Lawrence to direct its sequel, Catching Fire, because the first movie’s director, Gary Ross, didn’t feel he would have enough time to prepare, develop, and actually make the sequel by the planned November 22, 2013 release date.

Now comes word that, before Lawrence even begins filming Catching Fire, Lionsgate is already actively seeking out a director to handle the two-film finale, Mockingjay.

The move is likely to ensure that the already determined release dates for the third and fourth installments are met with little to no problems. Lionsgate clearly sees the dollar signs here, and they feel that the quicker they strike, the better things will be for them financially—with fans hoping that doesn’t mean that the quality of the product will be damaged.

The dates that are currently set for parts one and two of Mockingjay to be released are November 21, 2014, and November 20, 2015.

[Source: Thompson on Hollywood]