News like this always makes me think of a quote from the movie Contact: “Why build one when you can have two at twice the price?”
As with The Hunger Games and the Twilight saga, Lionsgate/Summit has made plans to split the third book in the Divergent trilogy in twain. Allegiant, Part 1 is on track for release on March 18, 2016, with Part 2 hitting theaters March 24, 2017. Though Divergent didn’t open as strongly as its predecessors, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger are confident that the tetralogy model will be a success once again.
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. The storytelling arc and world of the characters lend themselves perfectly to two films, a storytelling strategy that has worked very well for us on the two Twilight Breaking Dawn films and about which we’re tremendously enthusiastic for the two upcoming Mockingjay films of The Hunger Games franchise.
Strikes me as a somewhat bold move for a series whose first installment hasn’t even finished its international release yet. Still, Divergent’s been doing well at the box office ($117 million domestic and $139 million worldwide, thus far), so perhaps the series’ appeal is strong enough to last through 2017. No news has been given as to where the split will take place, and as I haven’t read the novels, I can’t offer any theories. What do you guys think? Is there enough stuff in Allegiant for two movies?
(via Deadline)
- On Divergent and Dystopias
- Divergent Tops Box Office Opening Weekend
- Divergent’s Shailene Woodley on Twilight
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