Twilight is outta here(maybe!!!), and Summit Entertainment has been none too subtle in trying to find another young adult franchise to take its place. Their best shot may be Divergent, which is based on the best-selling novel by Veronica Roth. With Shailene Woodley(The Descendants) already in place, the search for her male co-star has narrowed to just a few candidates.
Last fall we learned that Lucas Till(X-Men: First Class), Jack Reynor(newly signed for Transformers 4), Brenton Thwaites(Maleficent), and Luke Bracey(Monte Carlo) had tested for the gig, but Variety now throws Jeremy Irvine(War Horse) and Alex Pettyfer(Magic Mike) into the mix. They'll test later this week, along with Till, so it sounds like the final decision is going to come down to those three. Expect it to arrive shortly, as they need to get moving this spring so Woodley has enough time to jump into The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Divergent sounds a lot like The Hunger Games, but I think there's enough of a difference for it to stand apart. The story centers on 16-year old Beatrice Prior(Woodley), who lives in a future version of Chicago where society is divided into five factions dedication to a particular virtue: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Forced to choose where her allegiances lie, Beatrice makes a decision that could change everything.
Directed by Neil Burger, Divergent is expected to open on March 21st 2014.
