'Ascendant' News: TV Series Based on 'Divergent' Movie Franchise Under Development at Starz
Starz is close to bringing the "Divergent" franchise to the small screen.
According to reports, the network behind hit shows "Power" and "Outlander" is now developing "Ascendant," a TV series based on the famed Lionsgate movie franchise.
Currently in its early stages of production, the series is being written by Adam Cozad ("Tarzan") who will also executive produce along with director Lee Toland Krieger ("The Age of Adaline").
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Details about "Ascendant" are still under wraps. It is unclear whether main cast members from the film — Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Ansel Elgort — will be reprising their roles in the show.
Representatives for Lionsgate and Starz have yet to comment on the matter, but Woodley previously said she is open to completing her character Tris' story outside the movie realm.
"I signed up to tell the whole story of Tris, and I would love to be able to do that," she said in an interview with "Today" in September 2016 (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Nothing would make me happier."
Many "Divergent" stars are expected to opt out of their deals should the movie evolve into a small screen project.
As Variety pointed out, "Ascendant" was initially planned to become the fourth installment in the "Divergent" movie series. Unfortunately, after seeing the poor box-office results of the third film, Summit decided to scrap the idea of possible fourth and fifth installments. Instead, the company opted to develop the property as a TV movie to wrap up the story.
"Divergent" is a film franchise based on Veronica Roth's best-selling book series of the same name. The novel has often been compared to other young adult books like "The Maze Runner" and "The Hunger Games" due to its similar target audience and themes.
The fourth "Divergent" film was initially slated to premiere this year.
