The chances of a Divergent reboot are being addressed by original director Neil Burger, 10 years after the dystopian sci-fi franchise launched. An adaptation of the popular Veronica Roth novels, the film series explores a future Chicago where citizens are separated into factions, based on a primary virtue, and centers on Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley), a Divergent who uncovers alarming secrets about her society. Despite an underwhelming response from audiences, Divergent was a commercial success in 2014, and two sequels, directed by Robert Schwentke, were eventually released. However, plans to conclude the franchise beyond that were seemingly discarded.

Now, more than a decade after helming the first installment, Burger spoke with Screen Rant about whether Divergent can be rebooted. Although he had not considered it, the director explained that Lionsgate may look to remake the series at some point. Burger then expressed his appreciation for the movie and getting to work with Woodley and other Divergent cast , revealing, “I always will be part of that franchise.” Read more of his comments below:

And they just kind of reboot everything. I have not thought about that, I'm sure that's crossed Lionsgate's mind to do it in a different way. I'm really proud of that movie, and I'm particularly proud of the cast that I got together for it, whether it be Shailene Woodley, or Theo James, or Miles Teller or Kate Winslet. Many of them, it was sort of an early, important role for them, and they were so fun to work with. So, it was great, I always will be part of that franchise, and am happy to be part of it in some way.

What This Means For The Divergent Franchise

Rebooting The Dystopian Series May Be Possible

Divergent was originally propelled by mainstream interest in YA dystopian adaptations, a trend that simultaneously benefited The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner. Poorly received, especially compared to its contemporaries, the enthusiasm surrounding Divergent faded upon the release of Insurgent and, more so, Allegiant. Even a star-studded cast, that included Theo James, Zoë Kravitz, Kate Winslet, Miles Teller, Octavia Spencer, and Naomi Watts, could not the sequels, and a fourth movie-turned-television series, Ascendant, was later canceled, which cut the franchise short.

Because of lessened popularity, as evidenced by the audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes and box office numbers for Allegiant, rebooting the movies would be a challenge. But, if Lionsgate were to make pivotal changes, including how its futuristic world is established and how the story eventually ends, the franchise could be brought back around. As Burger commented, the company may consider doing something else with the source material, and so, perhaps restructuring Divergent for television would be a viable, and more cost-effective, option.

Following its 2016 release, Allegiant earned the franchise its lowest RT Popcornmeter score at 41% and grossed only $179.2 million globally.

Our Take On A Potential Divergent Reboot

The Franchise Could Use Another Go-Around

While Divergent had a lackluster theatrical run, turning the novels into a television series may allow more room to adapt everything and, based on how popular it once was, could attract a wide audience. Lionsgate, also behind The Hunger Games, has found recent success in exploring prequel stories, suggesting that there is still interest in the YA genre that dominated the 2010s. Divergent could use another shot and, with past failures in mind, if done right, a reboot might prove valuable to the franchise.

Source: Screen Rant