Lionsgate Wants SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Screenwriter To Adapt The 2nd HUNGER GAMES Book, CATCHING FIRE

I’ve read THE HUNGER GAMES book but I have yet to read the sequel, CATCHING FIRE. I need to tho and I need to do it fast because time is of the essence. THE HUNGER GAMES movie hits theaters in Spring 2012 and the rest in the series will follow. Deadline reported today that Lionsgate wants Oscar winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) to write CATCHING FIRE Script
The first film is scripted by the film’s director Gary Ross in collaboration with the book’s author Suzanne Collins and the initial plan was for them to come up with the outline for the 2nd film but post-work schedule on THE HUNGER GAMES has made that difficult.
Negotiations with Beaufoy haven’t started yet but Lionsgate seriously wants him.
The book‘s official synopsis, which may contain spoilers, after this jump..

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.