In December we reported DIVERGENT director Neil Burger won't be back for the sequels INSURGENT and ALLEGIANT, but it appears Summit Entertainment has found his replacement for the second movie based on the popular young adult series. The studio has announced RED and R.I.P.D. director Robert Schwentke will helm INSURGENT.
Here's the announcement from Summit:
Robert Schwentke will direct Summit Entertainment’s INSURGENT, the sequel to the studio’s futuristic adventure DIVERGENT based on author Veronica Roth’s New York Times best seller series. The film will be directed from a script currently being written by Akiva Goldsman from a draft initially written by Brian Duffield. Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher will produce the film via their Red Wagon Entertainment banner along with Pouya Shahbazian. Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman will executive produce the movie via their Mandeville Films banner along with Barry Waldman. INSURGENT, which is scheduled for release on March 20, 2015, will be filmed in Atlanta, GA and Chicago, IL. The third film in the series, ALLEGIANT, is slated for release on March 18, 2016. Summit is a LIONSGATE company.
In the thrilling sequel to DIVERGENT, INSURGENT continues the journey of Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) as war now looms. Sides will be chosen, secrets will emerge, and to uncover the truth about her world, Tris must be stronger than ever because shocking choices and sacrifices lie ahead.
Erik Feig, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s President of Production, said, “We are excited to announce that we have found the perfect director to carry on the story of Tris Prior and the expanded world of INSURGENT in Robert Schwentke. Robert, with whom we have already had a successful relationship, has proven a master storyteller in multiple genres and we can’t wait to see what he brings to Veronica Roth’s next installment of the DIVERGENT series. As well, we are very happy to welcome Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman to the team as executive producers.”
If your a fan of the novels or just excited for the first movie, you're probably pumped Summit Entertainment has already started working on the next film, but what if DIVERGENT is a huge bomb? Outside of TWILIGHT and THE HUNGER GAMES, YA adaptations have struggled at the box office, and the same could happen to DIVERGENT. Neil Burger's film certainly looks bigger and better than recent failures like THE HOST, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, and last weekend's VAMPIRE ACADEMY, however I'm curious to see if DIVERGENT is the start of a new franchise, or another one-and-done flop.
DIVERGENT starring Shailene Woodley, Ray Stevenson, Kate Winslet, Theo James, Maggie Q, Miles Teller, Jai Courtney and Ashley Judd opens on March 21st, 2014. INSURGENT is scheduled to be released on March 20th, 2016, and ALLEGIANT is scheduled for March 18th, 2016.