‘The Divergent Series: Ascendant’ To Be Launched As TV Movie, Will Skip Theatrical Release
“The Divergent Series: Ascendant” is set to be released in theaters in June of 2017, but according to a new report from Variety, that might not be the case anymore. It seems that Lionsgate is now planning to wrap up the “Divergent Series” with a TV movie and a spinoff series.
No deals have been made yet and negotiations are in the early stages, though the studio is getting ready to pitch the project to networks. A source told Variety that Lionsgate’s television group will handle the production.
Shooting for the fourth and final film was set to begin this summer, but that was before the last movie, “Allegiant,” was a box office disaster and caused the team to rethink its strategy.
READ MORE: ‘Allegiant’: Lionsgate CEO Says the Newest ‘Divergent’ Movie Was ‘Rushed’
The studio hopes to finalize the Veronica Roth-created franchise by having a TV movie that will tie up the current cast’s storylines and introduce a new group of actors, who would then continue the story in a series. At this time there is no news regarding Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort or other members’ involvement in the “Ascendants” TV project.
The last film was a box office bomb, bringing in $29 million in its opening weekend, which was nothing compared to its previous $50 million-plus for the first two adaptations. “Allegiant” was also received with generally unfavorable reviews and garnered a score of 12 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer had previously spoken about the picture’s disappointment during a conference call with Wall Street investors saying, “Maybe we rushed the third movie a bit instead of taking our time with it. We wanted to hit a date.”
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