When it comes to post-apocalyptic worlds, there are few as well known as Divergent. The story was created by Veronica Roth and launched itself into the New York Times Bestsellers list before Lionsgate opted its film rights. The studio then embarked on a four-part film franchise which adapted the dystopian series into big-scale blockbusters. However, recent news about the series has left fans wondering whether they will ever get the franchise’s finale. News broke that Lionsgate was interested in finishing out the series as a television movie, and the films’ stars were not too pleased with the sudden change.
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And, now, it looks like one of the movie’s biggest stars is saying he and his co-stars likely will not be part of the project.
In a recent interview with Too Fab, the actor talked about his work on Divergent. When asked about the franchise’s future and its television prospects, James had this to say: “My message would be ‘Thanks for the support.’ I think it’s a shame that we can’t finish the story, but I think it’s evolving in a place where the actors that have been in the three movies probably won’t be in whatever it evolves to in the future.”
Clearly, his words are not ones which fans were wanting to hear. The cast of Divergent has been vocal about their displeasure with Lionsgate and its distribution plans. Earlier this year, star Shailene Woodley commented on the decision during an interview with ScreenRant, and she didn’t hold back her criticisms.
“I didn’t sign up to be in a television show,” she said. “Out of respect to the studio and everyone involved, they may have changed their mind and may be doing something different, but I’m not necessarily interested in doing a television show.”
Of course, Woodley and James aren’t the only cast members who feel uncertain about the franchise’s future. Not long ago, Miles Teller told Variety he hadn’t even been told about the move prior to reading about it in the news.
“When we all signed on for the first one we had every intention of finishing it theatrically,” he said. “We signed on for x amount of movies and you take that all into consideration. We wanted to see that storyline finish. You know, it’s moving into a different format. So who knows? We all really enjoyed that time we spent together and those characters.”
Originally, the fourth Divergent installment known as Ascendant was set to start filming this summer for a June 2017 release. However, those plans were put on-hold once Allegiant failed to impress moviegoers. Lionsgate began to reevaluate the future of the franchise and hoped to make Ascendant into a television movie. The film would also introduce a batch of new characters that would then be given their own spin-off series.
MORE: Miles Teller Unsure If He Will Participate In ‘Divergent’ TV Movie / Divergent Finale To Skip Theaters, Be Released As TV Movie
So, what do you think? Do you think the franchise could finish up its last film without the original cast involved? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments below!
