Why the FinalDivergentFilm Was Never Made: What the Cast and Creator Have Said

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:Murray Close/Red Wagon/Lionsgate/Kobal/Shutterstock

Murray Close/Red Wagon/Lionsgate/Kobal/Shutterstock

Divergentfirst premiered 10 years ago on March 21, 2014, but unlikeother book adaptations, it never had a proper conclusion.

Based onVeronica Roth’s hit book franchise, the film starredShailene Woodleyas a young girl living in a future dystopian Chicago in which society was divided into five factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite.

A fourth and final film, titledAscendant, was meant to wrap up the franchise but it never came to fruition due toAllegiant’s lackluster box office performance.

AsDivergentturns 10, here’s everything the cast and creator have said about the fourth final that never was.

What was the finalDivergentmovie about?

Theo James and Shailene Woodley Talk About Divergent.

Warning: spoilers about the finalDivergentbook ahead.

The fourthDivergentfilm was intended to tell the story of the second half of Roth’s third and final bookAllegiant, as a “part two” to the third film of the same name.

After coming in contact with a group called the Bureau, Shailene Woodley’s Tris and the rest of the group learn that their city and all of the factions have been part of a genetic experiment. However, when Tris and the others try to expose the Bureau, their leader David tries to unleash a serum to wipe their memories so that they can do the experiment over again.

Why did the finalDivergentmovie never get released?

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In April 2014, a month after the release ofDivergent, it was announced that the final book in the franchise would be split into two films. At the time,Deadlineannounced that they would be released on March 18, 2016 and March 24, 2017, respectively, noting that both films would be produced separately.

Filming for the third film took place in Atlanta, Georgia from May 2015 to August 2015, while production for the fourth and final film was expected to start in the summer of 2016. In February 2016, the fourth film faced a bump in the road asRobert Schwentke stepped down as directorand Leo Toland Kreiger later took over.

The franchise was dealt a major blow as the third film,Allegiant, released on March 18, 2016, to dismal box office numbers. The film grossed $179.2 million worldwide against its estimated $142 million budget, making it the lowest-grossing film in theDivergentfranchise. As a result, Lionsgate began to rethink the franchise and its format.

What happened to theDivergentseries?

Murray Close/Summit Entertainment/courtesy Everett Collection

However, the series was quickly met with skepticism, especially from its stars. During an interview withScreen Rantin September 2016, Woodley said she was “not interested” in reprising her role for the new project.

“I didn’t sign up to be in a television show,” she told the publication. “Out of respect to the studio and everyone involved, they may have changed their mind and may be doing something different, but I’m not necessarily interested in doing a television show.”

In December 2018,a spokesperson for Starz confirmedthat the series was no longer in development.

What has the creator said about the finalDivergentmovie?

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Despite the final movie never getting made, authorVeronica Rothfeels the film franchise is still complete. During an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in October 2023,Roth opened up about theDivergentcontroversy, including the controversial decision to split the final book into two movies.

“I mean, breaking things in two was all the rage at the time. That was why that decision was made,” Roth explained. “But at that point, I think I always felt peace about it just because I knew the movies were taking a different track than the books, and if you change the lead up, you change the ending. So I kind of felt like at that point … I feel like that third movie … it’s its own thing.”

“It feels complete to me, relatively speaking, because what does that even mean at that point?” she added.

When asked if the final movie would included Tris' death, Roth wasn’t sure. “I don’t think they had a really clear outline for me,” she explained. “I think they were maybe a little worried about telling me one way or the other because maybe they were concerned about what I would say or setting expectations or something like that.”

source: people.com