‘Divergent Series’ Finale ‘Ascendant’ Loses Director Robert Schwentke
By Angie Han/Feb. 9, 2016 11:00 am EST
Deadline, who broke the news, clarifies there’s “nothing sinister” going on. Schwentke just wanted to take a break from the franchise after shooting Insurgent and Allegiant, and remains on good terms with Lionsgate. (THR’s sources additionally trot out the “wanted to spend more time with his family” line.) However, his abrupt departure leaves the studio scrambling to find a replacement to meet The Divergent Series: Ascendant’s planned June 9, 2017 release date.
The Divergent Series is based on Veronica Roth’s trilogy of dystopian YA novels. As has become custom, the last of those books was split into two movies, Allegiant and Ascendant. The Divergent Series: Allegiant, out March 18, finds Tris reeling from her discovery at the end of The Divergent Series: Insurgent about the true origins of her strangely divided community. Shailene Woodley returns as heroine Tris, and Theo James as her love interest Four.
While Divergent hasn’t quite been able to measure up to The Hunger Games (or even, for that matter, The Maze Runner, Hunger Games’ other would-be successor), it’s performed respectably at the box office. The first two films have grossed a combined $585 million. Shooting on Ascendant will begin in Atlanta this summer, provided Lionsgate can lock down a new director in time.
