Million-Dollar Handcuffs? Jennifer Lawrence Trapped In ‘Slavery’ To ‘Hunger Games’ Franchise, ‘American Hustle’ Director Complains

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has made history by becoming the first film with a solo-female lead to top the box office at the end of the year.

With another Golden Globe in hand and a likely Oscar nomination on the horizon, Jennifer Lawrence seems to be at the height of her young career. But her American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook director says she could be doing even better if it wasn’t for The Hunger Games.

“Talk about ’12 Years Of Slavery,’”David O. Russell told the New York Daily News at the Australian Academy’s AACTA Awards Friday. “That’s what the franchise is.”

Lawrence has been filming the third installment of the four-part series, Catching Fire, since November — and will reportedly receive a $10 million pay day for her work on the film. She filmed the first for a reported $500,000 in 2011.

But that’s not the only franchise keeping her filming schedule inflexible. As Radar has reported, she also is locked into a three-movie deal with the X-Men franchise, and will have to start filming her final film in the series in June.

“Jennifer especially is losing millions of dollars by doing these movies when she could have her pick of juicy parts,” a source previously told Radar.

And though Russell, who has seen Lawrence as his muse, was obviously frustrated by her lack of availability, he quickly realized he could have perhaps expressed it in a different way than likening her million-dollar roles to slavery.

On Tuesday he apologized for his racial insensitivity, saying, “Clearly, I used a stupid analogy in a poor attempt at humor. I realized it the minute I said it and I am truly sorry.”