After starting out great, the fortunes of the “Divergent” series continue to plummet. Following the lackluster showing of “Allegiant”, showrunners resorted to pulling out the Veronica Roth adaptation and opt for a TV movie rendition instead.
Lionsgate’s decision to follow this route stems from the poor performance “Allegiant” had in the box office. The film racked in a lackluster $29 million which was way-off the performance of the previous two installments (“Divergent” - $54.6 million and “Insurgent” - $52.3 million) per Variety.
Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller Out?
With the move, the “Divergent film series” could be losing two of its main stars. Shailene Woodley who plays “Beatrice Prior” and Miles Teller (“Peter”) have aired some uncertainty of returning in case the series just shift to a TV movie rendition.
"At this point, it's a different set of circumstances," he said. "We'll see. I honestly haven't talked to anybody," said Teller via the Hollywood Reporter.
The final chapter of the “Divergent” series was originally slated for a Jun. 9, 2017 release. But the poor reception of “Allegiant” has altered all that. With “Allegiant” racking only $29 million from a reported $110 million budget, the move was seen to give the series a proper end which critics believe may not be the wisest of moves.
With the looming uncertainty on Teller and Woodley, Lionsgate faces even more problems moving forward. An altered path was something Teller didn’t see coming, obviously something that he and other main cast members didn’t really sign up for.
Lionsgate will now be left in a corner with the fate of “Divergent: Ascendant” in question. With a revamped plan and stars leaving, the future is not looking good for the Veronica Roth series. The book version of “Allegiant” was already controversial from the beginning and now the movie version is getting its due as well.