Following a less than impressive box office haul of $179.2 million for the third instalment Allegiant, Lionsgate has decided to pull the concluding chapter of The Divergent Series from its theatrical schedule, and will instead wrap up the franchise with a TV movie.
At this point, it’s unknown whether Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ansel Elgort and company will reprise their roles for Ascendant, which was initially slated to hit cinemas on June 9th 2017. Lee Toland Krieger (The Age of Adaline) is attached to direct the concluding chapter, but again Lionsgate has declined to comment on his continued involvement.
UPDATE: It seems the news took star Shailene Woodley by surprise, with the young actress stating that: “Honestly, I was on a plane when all that happened and I landed, and I’m like Whoa, what’s going on?! I need to talk and find out what the details are.”
The series – adapted from Veronica Roth’s YA novels – launched in 2014 with Divergent, which grossed $288.9 million worldwide, while the second movie The Divergent Series: Insurgent, earned $297.3 million in 2015. However, the franchise was unable to replicate the success of Lionsgate’s other YA franchises such as Twilight and The Hunger Games.