Distributed by Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate Films, the series is set in a dystopian society: Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant.
The series stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James as lead characters Beatrice Prior (Tris) and Tobias Eaton (Four), respectively.
Development began in 2011 following Summit's acquisition of the film rights to the Divergent novel in partnership with production company Red Wagon Entertainment.
[1] The studios announced production on the sequel following the first film's strong performance in Thursday late-night screenings, where it grossed $4.9 million.
In a world in which people are divided into distinct factions based on human virtues, Tris Prior is warned that she is Divergent and will never fit into any of the groups.
[10] Evan Daugherty, who co-wrote the screenplay with Vanessa Taylor, said, "I get hung up on the toughness of the movie but of equal importance is the love story between Tris and Four.
There will be plenty of sexual tension and chemistry, but it's important that all of that stuff doesn't just feel like it's thrown in, but that it all helps Tris grow as a character.
Analyst Ben Mogil said, "Divergent is more similar to Hunger Games in that the company owns the underlying economics (i.e. production) and the budget (at $80[million]) is more manageable.
[15][16] On December 16, 2013, it was announced that Neil Burger, director of Divergent, would not return to direct Insurgent as he was still working on the first film.
[17] On February 13, 2014, it was announced that Robert Schwentke was offered the director position for the film, and Akiva Goldsman hired to re-write Duffield's script.
[7] Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger said in a statement that, "Veronica Roth brings her captivating story to a masterful conclusion in 'Allegiant,' a rich, action-packed book with material that is ideally suited to two strong and fulfilling movies.
[23] Lucas Till, Jack Reynor, Jeremy Irvine, Alex Pettyfer, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Ludwig and Luke Bracey were all considered for the role of Tobias "Four" Eaton.
"[27] The producers said about his casting: "We took our time to find the right actor to fill the role of Four, and Theo is definitely the perfect fit.
Veronica has crafted a truly iconic character in Four and we cannot wait to begin production and bring him and this story to life for millions of fans around the world.
During the time that Neil Burger was originally going to direct the sequel, Brian Duffield was recruited to write the screenplay for The Divergent Series: Insurgent, but after Burger dropped out of the film and Robert Schwentke took over as director, he brought in Akiva Goldsman and Mark Bomback to rewrite Duffield's script.
The two-part finale screenplay, The Divergent Series: Allegiant and Ascendant, was written by Noah Oppenheim, Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Stephen Chbosky.
On March 11, 2013, it was announced that the roles of Tori, Christina, and Caleb had gone to Maggie Q, Zoë Kravitz, and Ansel Elgort, respectively.
[33] The studio's announcement included a bit of casting news: Mekhi Phifer will play Dauntless leader Max.
[47] On April 28, 2015, it was reported that Golden Globe nominee Jeff Daniels joined the cast for Allegiant as David, the leader of the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.
Principal photography for The Divergent Series: Insurgent began on May 27, 2014, in Atlanta, Georgia,[50] and concluded on September 6, 2014.
Principal photography for The Divergent Series: Allegiant began in Atlanta on May 18, 2015,[51][52] with filming concluding on August 23, 2015.
A fourth film was initially planned, with a March 2017 release, based on the latter half of the Allegiant book.
[69][71] In September 2016, Shailene Woodley stated on Today that the decision of film or television had not been finalized and that it was "a limbo waiting game.
[74][75] In December 2018, Starz announced that it no longer sought to develop a television series[76] and cited the lack of interest of the cast and the network executives.