'Divergent' Movie WILL be Filmed in Chicago

According to The Chicago Sun Times, the Divergent movie will be true to the book and film scenes in Chicago:

"The film, based on the popular book trilogy for young adults titled “Divergent,” will star actress Shailene Woodley, who recently starred in the hit George Clooney film “The Descendants.”

Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Film Office — as well as the massive film studio Cinespace — worked hard to recruit the gig, which is expected to bring the state tons of cash and lure the same teen audience who ensured the monetary success of the “Twilight” film series and “The Hunger Games,” both of which are based on books.

“They’ve been busy for months wooing a new blockbuster to Illinois,” said the source. The movie is about a teenage girl who lives in a dystopian Chicago society divided into factions based on different virtues. Filmmakers “fell in love” with various shooting locations around Chicago, according to the source."

Via SunTimes

'Insurgent' & Veronica Roth Win in the Goodreads 2012 Awards

Congratulations to Veronica Roth on winning 2 Goodreads Choice Awards!

It was a landslide victory for the author, who finished thousands of votes ahead of the competition in the Best Goodreads Author & Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction categories.

Well done to the fans for supporting the series! Screencaps after the jump.

Interview with 'Divergent' Movie Screenwriter Evan Daugherty

As we know, Evan Daugherty is writing the screenplay for the Divergent Movie, and thanks to Bookish, we get a great inside look at what the script will be like and the adaptation challenges he faced:

"Screenwriter Evan Daugherty has had quite the year.

His script for “Snow White and the Huntsman” (which sold in a massive Hollywood bidding war) was realized as a blockbuster film starring Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth, and his second script, “Killing Season”–starring John Travolta and Robert De Niro–is in production and set to release next year.

Thanks to Daugherty’s whirlwind success, the offers have been rolling in–one of which happens to be the adaptation of Veronica Roth’s beloved dystopian YA novel “Divergent.”

 The sequel to the runaway best-seller “Insurgent” has also been a top seller since its release in April 2012. In development by the studio behind the Twilight and Hunger Games movies, the project, set to release in May 2014, is on the heels of some major buzz as Shailene Woodley has reportedly neared a deal to play protaganist Tris, and actors are lining up to play her love interest, Four. But, lucky for YA fans, Daugherty was able to give us the early scoop on his vision for the script:

Four Actors Tested For "Chemistry" With Shailene Woodley?

According to Deadline: Summit Entertainment is bearing down on the male lead in Divergent, the adaptation of the Neil Burger-directed adaptation of the Veronica Roth novel that will star Shailene Woodley. She’s the next hot gal after a breakout performance in The Descendants, followed by scoring the Mary Jane role in The Amazing Spider-Man sequel. I’m told that Summit held Divergent “chemistry” readings yesterday that paired Woodley with four young actors: Luke Bracey, Brenton Thwaites, Lucas Till and Jack Reynor.

'Insurgent' Collectors Edition On Sale Today

On sale today is a deluxe collector's edition of Insurgent by Veronica Roth with brand-new content:
• "Free Four"— in print for the first time.
• Exclusive, full-color foldout poster
• Faction tattoos
• 48 pages of bonus content, including interviews with Veronica Roth, playlists, faction party tips, and much more. Go check it out!

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Indie Bound




Via DivergentFans

Rumour Round Up: Colton Haynes & Alexander Ludwig up for the Role of Four?

Here are the latest rumours regarding the casting of Four.
First up, Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games) tweeted about having a meeting for the part, obviously keen to get the role. However, yesterday morning Colton Haynes (Teen Wolf) sparked a whole load of intrigue by following Veronica Roth on twitter, and then tweeting the message below. Very interesting! watch this space.
     

Via DivergentLexicon

Video: Veronica Roth Talks about 'Insurgent' & More

Veronica discusses books she's reading, Insurgent, factions, and more.

HarperTeen | Via

CONFIRMED: Neil Burger will Direct the Divergent Movie

Veronica Roth has confirmed Neil Burger will be the 'Divergent' Director!

"So. I wasn't able to discuss this before because it wasn't official, but the Divergent movie adaptation has a director: Neil Burger!

Neil Burger directed The Illusionist and Limitless, both movies that I enjoyed immensely, both visually dynamic and interesting. Soon after the deal was closed I got the opportunity to speak with him on the phone. I was nervous beforehand-- handing over your work for someone else to interpret is always nerve-wracking, and I wasn't sure what to expect.

But by the time I hung up-- an hour and a half later!-- I felt very reassured. Neil knew the books remarkably well, and asked some amazing questions about the world and the story, and generally demonstrated tremendous respect for the books and for my answers.  I actually found myself wishing he had been around while I was writing, to help me think through the particularities of the world of Divergent! I'm sure I would have been more efficient if he had. Like I have before, I'm feeling like my work is in good good hands.

Because I feel so reassured by my experience with Neil and his work, I've felt pretty calm about any and all casting news I've received, knowing that all the people who are working on this movie have a strong vision for it that is grounded in the books."

This is great news! The movie production will move along much faster now a director is on board.

CASTING NEWS: Shailene Woodley in Talks to Play Tris Prior in Divergent?

UPDATE: Veronica Roth has confirmed Shailene is in 'final talks' to play the role.

From Deadline:

"EXCLUSIVE: Suddenly, The Descendants breakout Shailene Woodley has become the hot young actress in town. She’s in talks to play the Mary Jane role in The Amazing Spider-Man sequel, and now I hear she is negotiating to play the female lead in Divergent, the Veronica Roth novel that will be directed by Neil Burger for Summit Entertainment. Produced by Red Wagon partners Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher and adapted by Snow White And The Huntsman‘s Evan Daugherty, the book is compared to The Hunger Games because of the age of the characters and the violence that takes place in a futuristic setting. This tale takes place in a futuristic dystopia where society is divided into factions based on human traits. A 16-year-old leaves her faction to join a rival one, but during the violent initiation she falls in love with a young man and they try to find their place in this rough world. Paradigm reps Woodley."

Critics have nothing but nice things to say about the actress in her most recent roles. Of course, no casting will ever make all fans happy, & everyone will have differing opinions on how Tris should look, but we should bear in mind a quality actor/actress is worth far more than looking exactly right, as Veronica mentioned previously:

“For me, they are clearly their own people, so if I had a dream cast, it would be people who are relatively unknown or anyone who can capture the sort of tough but vulnerable spirit Tris has,” she said. “I’d rather have a good actor than an actor who looks just right.”

Divergent Movie Release Date Announced: March 21 2014

Exciting news! We have a release date! Mark your calendars.

From Deadline: Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment announced today that the filmed adaptation of the young-adult adventure novel Divergent, which Neil Burger has been set to direct, will open wide in North America on March 21, 2014.

Video: Veronica Roth Reading of Free Four

YouTube

Video: Veronica Roth Interview About Insurgent

Thanks to RT Book Reviews | Via