YA sci-fi adaptations continue to arrive from the minds of studios that have hired writers to adapt books they probably know will connect with younger audiences. And the sequels of these films continue with the unnecessarily long titles as well. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” is in theaters this month and it’s looking to smash records. “The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” is already set for September 2015, and so the next installment of the “Divergent” series is coming too. Titled "The Divergent Series: Insurgent," this sequel seems to be mostly marked by the fact that Shailene Woodley has a new short pixie haircut. Some other things probably happen too.
But ‘Insurgent’ is going to have its work cut out for it. Long presumed the #2 YA franchise behind “The Hunger Games,” because of Woodley and the relative name brand value of Kate Winslet and Miles Teller, at least cumulatively, the franchise has been overtaken globally by “The Maze Runner.” That’s not a good look considering almost all of the leads of ‘Maze Runner’ were mostly unknowns, but apparently that film took off in a big way and has crossed the $300 million mark worldwide. But now that audiences know ‘Insurgent,’ perhaps the sequel will surge at the box-office. Here’s the synopsis for the latest film:
THE DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.
Directed by Robert Schwentke, "Insurgent" stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Octavia Spencer, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoë Kravitz, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, and Mekhi Phifer, with Naomi Watts and Kate Winslet. "The Divergent Series: Insurgent" opens nationwide March 20, 2015. Watch the first trailer below.
Maze Runner: Scorch Trials