EW Releases New ‘Divergent’ Still

Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, a brand new still from Divergent has been added to the gallery. Be sure to take a look!

Afraid of heights? Let’s just say you probably wouldn’t make it in Dauntless.

The highly anticipated adaptation of Veronica Roth’s best-selling Divergent is still filming in Chicago, but EW has gotten this exclusive first look of Tris (Shailene Woodley) out on a ledge and perched to jump as part of initiation into her faction. For those of who haven’t read the books, in the dystopian world of Divergent, all of society is divided into five factions: Abnegation (selfless); Erudite (intelligent); Candor (honest); Amity (peaceful) and Dauntless (brave). Our heroine, sixteen-year-old Tris Prior, has chosen the Dauntless faction which involves a lot of very scary initiation tests—like the time she stood still while knives were thrown at her head.

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Veronica Roth Addresses Shailene Woodley and Theo James’ Age Gap

TEEN.COM – The big-screen adaptation of Veronica Roth‘s YA novel, Divergent, might not be hitting theaters until next March, but that hasn’t stopped millions from obsessing over it — present company included! Recently, Teen was able to catch up with the book’s author at the Lionsgate offices in Santa Monica (umm, no big deal), to talk about not only the film, but the book series’ third offering, Allegiant, which will be released in October.

One topic of discussion during our chat was the age gap between lead actors Shailene Woodley (Tris) and Theo James (Four). In the book, these characters are 16 and 18 respectively, but the actors playing them are a bit older at 21 and 28. When asked about the age subject, Veronica assured that fans wouldn’t be disappointed, saying:

“I think that head shots look a lot older than actual people. When I’m meeting them in real life I’m like ‘Oh yeah this is not a problem.’ Seeing them all together, they definitely look younger than you think. I was most concerned about the age gap looking okay. Obviously Shailene is [six years] younger than Theo. It doesn’t really look that way because I think when you cast an actual 16 year old and actual 18 year old they look the same age, especially if the 18 year old is a boy because they don’t age. So that would actually look kind of creepy. So I’m happy with the maturity of the actors I think that was crucial to making this movie work and by casting older actors we definitely have gotten that maturity which is amazing. I think that gap looks great in real life.”

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Kate Winslet Nearing ‘Divergent’ Role

Though Summit and Neil Burger’s “Divergent” is still on the lookout for its male lead to pair with Shailene Woodley, it may have found a major co-star for her with Kate Winslet in talks to join the movie.

Summit is eyeing a film trilogy; it acquired the Veronica Roth novel in March 2011, shortly after which Burger beat out a slew of helmers to land the coveted gig. The story has a futuristic, “Hunger Games”-like teen-on-teen violence setting and follows 16-year-old Beatrice Prior, whom Woodley is set to play. It is unknown what part Winslet would play in the film.

Burger will helm, with Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher producing through their Red Wagon banner. Vanessa Taylor is rewriting the script that Evan Daugherty penned and Burger helped develop.

Though Winslet is no stranger to starring in a big-budget-tentpole, the film would mark her first opportunity at a possible franchise.

Summit is also still trying to find its male lead to pair with Woodley. The studio recently tested Lucas Till, Alex Pettyfer and Jeremy Irvine, but sources say the shingle may go older after not finding its guy with the latest readings.

The CAA- and United Agents-repped Winslet can be seen in Relativity’s “Movie 43,” which bows this weekend, as well as Paramount’s “Labor Day,” which bows sometime in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Source: Variety

Shailene ‘Profoundly Moved’ by Veronica Roth’s ‘Divergent’

We’ve hardly heard a peep from “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” star Shailene Woodley since she was cast as heroine Beatrice “Tris” Prior in the big-screen adaptation of dystopian thriller “Divergent.” Well, not anymore, seeing as we caught up with the star today at the Sundance Film Festival, where she was promoting her movie “The Spectacular Now.”

So, first things first: What inspired Shailene to sign on for the role of the Dauntless factioner? We guarantee her answer is nothing you’d expect.

“I read the book, and I thought it was really—my whole thing, to be honest, is I never wanted to do big films,” she explained. “I’ve been acting for 16 years, and it was never something that I wanted to do, to be in a big blockbuster film, especially one that was similar to ‘Hunger Games’ or ‘Twilight.’ You know, one that had a huge pre-existing fan base and one that would carry on for multiple years.”

But that all changed once she cracked the spine on Veronica Roth’s young-adult novel.

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Why Lionsgate Thinks ‘Divergent’ Can Replace ‘Twilight’

Lionsgate may have one mega-franchise ending in “Twilight,” but the studio reassured investors and analysts Friday that it has already unearthed the next big thing in young adult entertainment.

The way it plans to keep cash registers ringing through 2014 lies with “Divergent,” a series of novels by Veronica Roth aimed at tweens and set in a futuristic dystopia. Book sales are tracking ahead of where “Twilight” and Lionsgate’s other major franchise “The Hunger Games” were at a similar point in their life cycles, Lionsgate executives said during the company’s second-quarter conference call. Moreover, the fan base for the novels is a passionate one.

“We’re putting it out to our fans right now that we think this is the next big franchise,” Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer said.

“Divergent” will star Shailene Woodley, the beautiful and youthful actress who turned heads in last year’s “The Descendants.” Neil Burger (“Limitless”) will direct the story of a young girl who rebels against her repressive society.

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Why Shailene Woodley is Perfect for “Divergent”

Well Divergent fans, the time for tests and simulations is over! Things are finally ramping up on the movie front with our first bit of casting news: we may have found our Tris! As we reported yesterday, actress Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager, The Descendants) is currently in talks to play the 16-year-old protagonist of Veronica Roth’s popular YA trilogy. And, truth be told, I couldn’t be more thrilled. Here are five reasons why I’m excited by this casting:

1. Woodley was one of the contenders to play Katniss in The Hunger Games: The role ultimately went to Jennifer Lawrence, of course, and Woodley has since admitted that the other actress was the right choice. She told MTV in March: “Yeah, I definitely auditioned. It wasn’t, like, a great audition. But I think that Jennifer Lawrence is perfect for that role.” Why is this a good thing? It means she’s familiar with the kind of audience Divergent will attract and that she’s prepared to take on the responsibility of playing a character that could draw lot of attention — media and otherwise.

2. She’s got cred as an actress: Okay, I know a lot of people will be scandalized by the fact that their potential Tris was also the star of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. But have you seen The Descendants? Woodley delivers a powerful performance as a drinking, cursing teen seething with resentment for her father. Imagine how hard it is to act as though you dislike George Clooney. The girl should have gotten an Oscar for that alone. Plus, she comes with a stamp of approval from Clooney himself: “She really elevates that role from a stereotype. You can write and direct it. But at the end of the day, someone has to play it.”

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Shailene Closing in on Deal to Star in “Divergent”

Shailene Woodley, who just booked the coveted role of Mary Jane in the Spider-Man sequel, is closing in on a deal to to star in Divergent, Summit/Lionsgate’s adaptation of Veronica Roth’s YA novel.

Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher are producing as is Pouya Shahbazian. Neil Burger is directing.

The book, published in May 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books, is set in a future society, which is divided into factions based on human traits.

Woodley will star as a 16-year old girl who leaves her faction to join a rival faction and falls in love with a young man.

While having been an actor for years, Woodley caught the attention of most in Hollywood when she co-starred opposite George Clooney in Alexander Payne’s awards darling The Descendants. The role garnered her much acclaim as well as a Indie Spirit Award for best supporting actress.

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