Lionsgate has been on a roll lately–after purchasing Summit Pictures, makers of the ‘Twilight’ films–and launching “The Hunger Games,” a franchise based upon the novels of Suzanne Collins.

“The Hunger Games,” has earned almost $400 million worldwide, which is remarkable when you consider that it cost $78 million to produce and $45 million to advertise, and has been in theaters for just over two weeks.

So, what do you do when you have a blockbuster that’s the first in a series of three films?

Well, if you’re Lionsgate, it’s possibly to hire another director.

Gary Ross, the director of “The Hunger Games,” who also co-wrote the screenplay, is rumored to not be returning to the sequel, “Catching Fire.”

Despite how dubious a move this sounds at first, there is actually some logic.  When a director helms what turns out to be a monster hit, they tend to ask for more money the second time around.  Studios find tendency irritating, which probably had something to do with the followups to “Twilight” being directed by Chris Weitz, David Slade and Bill Condon (who is the only director who has helmed two films in the series).

Most people that are either fans of the novels or seen the movie have no idea who directed the film (and could probably care less), and since Ross doesn’t have the clout of a James Cameron or a Martin Scorsese, he cannot necessarily dictate terms to a studio.

There’s no problem if a director comes on board that’s (relatively) faithful to the novels (and it goes without saying, able to get along with the studio), but if the films veers stylistically from what fans have come to expect, it could be a harbinger of problems because there are three books in the series, and if there’s significant box office fallout from the second, it could potentially endanger the third.