It was reported earlier this year that "Divergent: Ascendant," the fourth and final film in "The Divergent" movie series is going to wrap up through a television movie that is hoped to pave way for a spinoff series. The announcement about the "Divergent: Ascendant" TV movie has since drawn outrage from fans and even some of the movies' top stars.
Lead star Shailene Woodley expressed her disinterest in doing a "Divergent: Ascendant" TV movie. In an interview with Screen Rant, the 24-year-old made it clear that she "didn't sign up to be in a television show."
Woodley's "Divergent" co-star Miles Teller revealed that they were surprised by Lionsgate's decision to change their plans for the YA movie franchise. "Things do change anytime they're messing with something that was not the original intention," Teller said to The Hollywood Reporter. "We all signed on for it in hopes that it'd be released in theaters, and we all had every intention of finishing [the franchise]."
In a separate interview, actor Ansel Elgort hinted that the rest of the "Divergent" cast will not reprise their roles in the "Divergent: Ascendant" TV movie project. He added that what's saddening is the fact that they all weren't able to say goodbye as they were expecting to work on a "Divergent: Ascendant" theatrical release.
The first two movies, "Divergent" and "Insurgent," were box office hits. The same, however, could not be said for the latest film, "Allegiant," which flopped in theaters. The underperformance of "Allegiant" reportedly became a factor in Lionsgate's decision to pull the plug for the projected theatrical release.
On a brighter note, "Divergent" is poised to be made into a television series that will span "across 10 to 13 episodes." The "Divergent" TV series is being pitched to 12 interest networks, with Starz being the lead candidate.
The "Divergent" movie franchise is based the post-dystopian novel series written by Veronica Roth in which Woodley's Tris Prior fights to liberate people from the faction system.
