Veronica Roth’s Divergent, the first chapter of a popular YA trilogy, probably doesn’t want to be known as “the next Hunger Games.” That’s simply too much pressure to live up to. But Hollywood’s eyeing the upcoming adaptation because of it’s box-office potential, and now serious filmgoers are sitting up and taking notice of the cast that is coming together.
Shailene Woodley of The Descendents and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 already has landed the choice role of Beatrice “Tris” Prior, a Divergent who doesn’t fit cleanly into one of the five factions that have formed in a post-apocalyptic society where normal social conventions no longer apply.
Now, multiple sources (including EW.com and Variety) are reporting that Kate Winslet is in negotiations to join director Neil Burger’s adaptation in an undetermined role. The best guess would be that the Titanic star would play Jeanine Matthews, a villainous character.
Summit Entertainment reportedly wants to develop this property into a trilogy, moving on to Roth’s subsequent book Insurgent. This would mean, in true Twilight or Hunger Games fashion, breaking the last book into two movies (if the first movie is a hit, naturally).
The studio is still on the hunt for a young male actor to play Tobias “Four” Eaton opposite Woodley … who expects to be busy with Marc Webb’s Spider-Man sequel for the next few months. But you can be sure that if Winslet’s prepared to attach her name, Divergent will land on a studio fast-track to production.
Tell us, Roth fans: Is Winslet the right choice to this project? And whom should they go after to play Tobias? Share your thoughts below.
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