Lionsgate’s Divergent series has never found a good home in Hollywood. All three films – Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant – have received not only mild box office results, but they have also hit pretty softly with audiences. Despite similar concepts, The Hunger Games franchise has always towered over its sister series on every turn. And with Allegiant having performed particularly poorly earlier this year, the studio has decided to give the fourth (and last) installment a major reduction.
Ascendant, a film that almost no one seemed to be anticipating, and which already had big budget cut, has now been turned into a TV movie. Not only is that wild news, but series star Shailene Woodley recently stated that she had not been warned about the severe cuts Lionsgate had done to the film. While talking to the press about her role in Oliver Stone’s Snowden, Woodley discussed how she was caught completely off guard by the news.
Honestly, I was on a plane when all that happened and I landed, and I’m like ‘Whoa, what’s going on?!’ I need to talk and find out what the details are.
With the series’ own lead being kept out of the talks, it’s unclear if she will be asked to return for the TV movie or not. Considering that a star like her (as well as her fellow cast members) would probably have high salaries, the studio may end up cutting them out of the picture entirely. But since the studio is committed to doing the final film, it might be in their best interest to keep at least a few of the leading stars to help draw in a bigger audience.
It’s a shame that the Divergent series has lived such an unfortunate life, however it’s possible that a TV version of the final film could make it become a more intimate, small-scale story. The studio has not released any information on the production, cast or director yet. All of that may depend on just how much Lionsgate wants to spend on bringing the series to a close.
We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.
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