Shailene Woodley has bounded towards the A-list in a relatively short amount of time. The actress received multiple award nominations for her role in Alexander Payne’s THE DESCENDANTS opposite George Clooney, and now she gravitating towards blockbuster territory. We announced last week that she was being strongly considered for the role of Mary Jane Watson in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, and now she is looking to lead her own franchise based on a series of Young Adult novels that have been compared to THE HUNGER GAMES.
DIVERGENT is to be directed by Neil Burger and takes place in a dystopian world where society is split into five factions, each based on a particular virtue such as the honest, the brave, the selfless, the intelligent, and the peaceful. When the people of this world turn 16 they must choose which virtue to follow. They must then undertake a series of initiation tasks to prove themselves. Shailene Woodley is looking for the lead role of Beatrice, a young girl torn between staying with her family or choosing who she really is.
It was originally thought that perhaps Woodley would be unable to take the role due to her possible casting in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, but that is now being reported as a smaller role that is mostly set-up for the sequel. I’m still skeptical over any film that just wants to ride on the coattails of a proven popular franchise, but I suppose we can give it a chance.
Source: Collider
