Helping Out On Hunger Games

Director Steven Soderbergh is reportedly directing second unit photography on Gary Ross' adaptation of  The Hunger Games according to The Playlist.

The story involves a young love triangle playing out against a dystopian future where North America has been divided into twelve oppressed districts, each of which is forced to send tribute in the form of a boy and a girl to compete in a televised battle to the death once a year.

Soderbergh was spotted on the film's set and tweets from crew members first suggested the possibility. The site then confirmed that he was indeed helping out.

Second unit entails overseeing various establishing shots, inserts and cutaways along with stunts and special effects sequences in the film.

Ross and Soderbergh have been friends for years and Ross asked him to come onboard to help him meet the tight timeline to get the film into theatres by March.

Jennifer Lawrence plays heroine Katniss Josh Hutcherson is Peeta and Liam Hemsworth plays Gale Elizabeth Banks will play Effie Trinket; Wes Bentley is Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane; Woody Harrelson is drunk, yet endearing mentor Haymitch: Stanley Tucci will play the ebullient and relentlessly upbeat Flickerman, host of the Games; Donald Sutherland has been cast as President Snow Amandla Stenberg and Dayo Okeniyi are set to play the characters of Rue and Thresh; Jack Quaid and Leven Rambin play District 1 tributes Marvel and Glimmer; Willow Shields will play Prim Everdeen; Paula Malcomson is Mama Everdeen; Ian Nelson and Kalia Prescott are playng Tributes from District 3. Ashton Moio and Kara Petersen are playing tributes from District 6. While Samuel Tan and Makenzie Lintz occupy District 8; Sam Ly and Leigha Hancock appear as District 7 Tributes; Imanol Vepez-Frias and Annie Thurman inhabit District 9; Jeremy Marinas and Dakota Hood are playing the District 10 Tributes.; Latarsha Rose and Brooke Bundy will play Portia and Octavia; Lenny Kravitz will play the role of Cinna and Toby Jones is legendary arenas announcer Claudius Templesmith. Amber Chaney will play the Avox girl, Kimiko Gelman and Nelson Ascencio are Venia and Flavius respectively.

Author Suzanne Collins adapted her novel series into script form which Billy Ray has re-written.

And  hi-res versions of those EW photos from last week are online.

The first film is due out March 23rd, 2012