The latest potential “Hunger Games”-style franchise-starter is officially underway.
“Divergent,” Summit’s forthcoming adaptation of the bestselling young-adult novel by Veronica Roth, has commenced principal photography in Chicago. The sci-fi thriller stars Shailene Woodley as Tris Prior, a young woman living in a dystopian future Earth where people are divided into factions depending on their personalities. After being labeled a “Divergent” – i.e. an individual deemed unfit for any particular group – she springs into action after uncovering a plot to have her kind wiped off the map completely.
Also starring Theo James, Kate Winslet, Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Ben Lamb, Christian Madsen, and Amy Newbold, the film is set to be directed by Neil Burger (“Limitless,” “The Lucky Ones”) from a script by Vanessa Taylor (“Game of Thrones,” “Jack & Bobby”). The studio also announced the addition of Mekhi Phifer and Ray Stevenson to the cast today.
Summit bought the rights to “Divergent” back in 2011, prior to the novel’s publication (a second book in the series, “Insurgent,” was released last May). The studio will release the film adaptation alongside parent company Lionsgate Films on March 21, 2014.
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