DIVERGENT author addresses the ASCENDANT TV movie and her influence (or lack thereof) on the decision.
Lionsgate shocked everyone back in July with the announcement that they’re planning to take the final Divergent film to television and follow up with a spin-off series– including the actors and author Veronica Roth.
After general silence on the matter, Veronica Roth is speaking out in a quick letter to fans posted by her publisher. In it, she reminds fans that she has no say in how Lionsgate adapts the series and while she’s given input, the studio doesn’t always take it into consideration. In a very subtle manner, the letter reflects the frustrations many authors have expressed in dealing with film studios who want changes and aren’t up for suggestions. Take a look!
Dear Divergent Readers,
A lot of you have been asking me what’s happening with the Ascendant movie. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I direct you here and here.)
I was not a part of the decision to split the last book into two parts, though I was curious to see how the movie team would accomplish it. And now the situation is a little uncertain as Lionsgate pursues another avenue for the final installment of the series. I, like you, am waiting to see what happens. As I’ve said in the past – and as Ally Carter notes in her excellent blog post on the subject – it’s uncommon for an author to have any creative control over the adaptations of his or her work. So while Lionsgate has certainly listened to my feedback, at the end of the day, they do what they think is best. I hope that whatever happens is right for the story and the characters, and I will certainly share whatever news I can moving forward.
Thank you for your continued excitement about the books/movies. In the meantime, I hope you’ll join me on a new adventure with my next book, Carve the Mark. There should be some exciting news about CtM popping up soon!
<3,
V
Lionsgate announced plans to move the final movie to TV after splitting Roth’s last book in the Divergent series, Allegiant, into two movies. Allegiant the movie strayed from the book quite a bit (as did its predecessor, Insurgent) and bombed at the box office. However, actors who have deemed to comment on the transition so far, like Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller, have made it clear that they’re not interested in being part of the TV movie.
