“Divergent” sequel “Insurgent” director Robert Schwentke will return to helm at least the first part of the YA franchise’s two-part final installment, “Allegiant Part 1.”
It’s a sign of confidence in Schwentke, who is currently in post-production on “Insurgent,” set to be released on March 20, 2015. Cast members including Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Kate Winslet are returning, while newcomers to the franchise include Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts.
Woodley plays Tris Prior, a teenager living in a futuristic dystopian Chicago who discovers she’s “divergent” — someone who doesn’t fit into any one of her society’s rigidly segregated factions, which are all based on character traits.
Noah Oppenheim, who also scripted YA adaptation “The Maze Runner,” is adapting the first part of “Allegiant,” which, like predecessors “Harry Potter,” “Hunger Games” and “Twilight,” is being split into two films.
After a $54 million domestic opening weekend, the “Divergent” film made $150 million in the U.S. and $139 million worldwide.
“Allegiant Part 1” will be released on March 18, 2016, with “Part 2” hitting a year later.
The news was first reported by Variety.