Shailene Woodley Says She 'Didn’t Sign Up' for a TV Finale of 'Divergent' Franchise
While Shailene Woodley is doing press for the Oliver Stone-helmed hacker thriller Snowden in which she co-stars, talk inevitably has turned to the future of her Divergent franchise. In response to the poor performance of its third installment, Allegiant, Lionsgate announced that its final chapter, Ascendant, would be produced not as a feature film, but as a TV movie (with plans for future small-screen spin-offs). Suffice it to say, it was a radical move by the studio, and it apparently caught the cast off-guard. At San Diego Comic-Con in July, Woodley told Yahoo Movies she knew very little about the proposal:
Having had time to review the situation, she’s now given her strongest statement yet on the subject, and from the sound of it, she’s far from on-board with these TV plans.
Related: ‘Divergent’-to-TV Report Is News to Shailene Woodley
Speaking to Screen Rant, Woodley made it clear that her interest in doing a small-screen finale for the franchise is basically non-existent. On the topic of Ascendant, she said:
“Last I heard they were trying to make it into a television show. I didn’t sign up to be in a television show. Out of respect to the studio and everyone in involved, they may have changed their mind and may be doing something different, but I’m not necessarily interested in doing a television show.”
Related: Some ‘Divergent’ Stars Expected to Opt Out as ‘Ascendant’ Shifts to a TV-Movie
While that’s not an official “no thanks,” it leaves little doubt that Woodley is preparing to bolt the series if it makes its intended transition to TV — a fact that would clearly throw the endeavor further into the unknown since it would necessitate casting a new Beatrice “Tris” Prior. Still, it isn’t altogether surprising considering the differences between a feature film and a TV movie. Whether she holds to this position remains to be seen, but for now, it certainly appears that the drama surrounding the The Divergent Saga isn’t going to subside any time soon.
Watch Shailene Woodley and ‘Allegiant’ Costars Answer Fan Questions, Hilariously Fail to Recite Theo James’s Full Name:
