X-MEN Sequel Shoots in January to Avoid HUNGER GAMES Conflict

It looks like this round of film studios fighting over Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Lawrence has been settled. 

The Hollywood Reporter states that 20th Century Fox informed talent agencies that the studio is planning on shooting a sequel to last year's X-Men: First Class in January 2013.  This move allows rival studio Lionsgate to go ahead with their August/September start date for Catching Fire, the sequel to the very popular movie adaptation of The Hunger Games.

Tensions were reportedly high between the studios last month, when Fox was considering filming the X-Men sequel this fall, creating a scheduling conflict for Lawrence who is already contracted to reprise her roles as Mystique in the X-Men sequel and Katniss Everdeen in Catching Fire.  With Fox signing Lawrence first, they had the right to exercise an option in her contract if it conflicted with a Hunger Games sequel.

Director Matthew Vaughn is expected to return for the X-Men sequel, while Hunger Games director Gary Ross remains unsigned and is supposedly engaged in heated negotiations.