Earlier this summer, Lionsgate announced that, instead of an Ascendant movie, the franchise will conclude on the small screen.
Divergent fans around the world were shocked when Lionsgate announced that the Divergent franchise would be completed and then extended on TV. In fact, not only will the last Divergent book, Allegiant, wrap up in a TV movie (called Ascendant), there would also be a Divergent TV series following it.
While many people are expressing doubt about this decision, Lionsgate TV Chairman, Kevin Beggs, is keeping a positive outlook. He states that Lionsgate is “excited about the possibility of what the series could look like — resolving the novel in a season across 10 to 13 episodes and then expanding from there into multiple seasons.”
This decision, mostly motivated by Allegiant‘s failure at the box office, “didn’t really create a situation where [Lionsgate] could commit the production resources necessary to… make the production we needed.”
So, the question for Divergent fans: is this a good choice? Recently, many YA books have hit the small screen with large amounts of success, including Shadowhunters and The 100. This shows that there is a large amount of precedent for potential financial success. This, however, doesn’t guarantee any adaptive success.
Many people have made the point that the movies’ loose adaptation has severed the connection and support that the adaptation should have from fans. While some fans may tune in to the Divergent TV adaptations, it’s not guaranteed that the largest part of the fanbase will support it.
https://twitter.com/AllegiantU/status/761340308550520832
We know next to nothing about the Divergent TV series except for the fact that, according to EW, “the project has generated interest at a dozen or so networks,” and Beggs will begin pitching to networks soon. Additionally, we don’t know if the movies’ major actors, like Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, and Miles Teller, will reprise their role in the Ascendant TV adaptation.
(Source)
