Mere days after it seemed certain that Gary Ross was full to bursting with Hunger Games fun, it looks like he might still return for a second helping of the franchise after all. Might being the appropriate word here – there are a whole load of reasons why he might just bog off and write Pleasantville 2: WellNiceville instead, but here’s hoping it happens. So what are the factors? LET’S FACTOR.

So first of all, Gazza wants a pay increase from The Hunger Games seeing as he got a paltry $3 million for directing a film that has so far taken over $450 million worldwide; still a hell of a lot more than the $500,000 Jennifer Lawrence got, but fair enough. The real problem, though, comes from scheduling. Lawrence is scheduled (and contracted to boot) to begin shooting an X-Men: First Class sequel in January, which means that Catching Fire needs to be locked down before that starts. Considering there’s no word on how far along the script is, it’s likely shooting won’t begin until August, putting pressure on everyone to ensure it doesn’t overrun.

So what’s the solution? Does Lionsgate try and buy a bit of time off Fox so that First Class doesn’t fire its engines until later in the year? Does Ross just have to bash out a script and go hell for leather with the knowledge that hot franchises don’t necessarily stay hot for very long? We don’t know the answer. But give Jen some more money, would you? We know she’s only been nominated for one Oscar, but still…