The world of young adult fiction can be very lucrative but hits are few and more often than not, the transition from page to screen isn't smooth. Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games are three titles that have managed to launch successful franchises and there have been plenty others that have had middling success – Percy Jackson, Chronicles of Narnia, Eragon to name a few.
Now the latest trilogy to try and make the jump from book to screen will be Veronica Roth's Divergent. Limitless director Neil Burger will helm the first installment of what Summit Entertainment hopes will be the beginning of a new franchise.
The story follows a 16-year-old girl in a future Chicago who must choose among five predetermined factions each dedicated to cultivating a particular virtue. The factions are Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day, all 16-year-olds must select a faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. The decision is made more difficult when she discovers she has an anomaly that does not fit in with any one group. There is also a highly competitive intiation process that follows.
Summit also has the movie rights for the sequel, Insurgent, which was released in May. The untitled third book in the trilogy is due out in fall 2013. Production on Divergent is slated to begin in March 2013 with hopes of releasing the film in early 2014.
Divergent has drawn comparisons to The Hunger Games due to its teen-on-teen violence in a futuristic setting and Summit hopes the film will perform Hunger Games-esque numbers.
Have you read the first two books of the trilogy? Are you interested in seeing it make the jump to the big screen? Who would you cast as Beatrice Prior, the story's protagonist?
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100000670899483 said...
omg the hunger games was a rip off of battle royal wich most of its obsesseve lovers are to young and closed in to even know what that is, and now they give us something thats similer to hungergames ; ;. why dont they give us something origonal or at the very least something were not seeing in the movies already. like make the dark tower movies.
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maddniss said...
Ok, well you obviously never read The Hunger Games because there's no way you could have read them and still think its a rip off of BR. The whole trilogy is unique and fantastic and it certainly deserves it's popularity. In fact, you probably don't read a lot of books; I can tell by your grammar and spelling.
I read the first two books because I was looking for something to read after The Hunger Games and I was actually pleasantly surprised that I liked them- a lot. The Hunger Games will always be my obsession, but I'm pretty excited for this movie. After I heard Saoirse Ronan's name mentioned as a fan-casting for Tris, I've imagined Tris as her and I'd love to see her land the part!
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