According to Deadline, the Divergent TV series has landed at Starz and is in the early stages of developing Ascendant based on the now defunct movie franchise (and book by Veronica Roth).
The Divergent films never managed to eclipse fellow YA adaptation The Twilight Saga or catch fire in the same way as The Hunger Games, but the first two movies did modest business at the box office. The now standard two-film finale for a YA adaptation kicked off last year with Allegiant and the franchise closer Ascendant was due to follow this year. However, Allegiant flopped at the box office generating just $179 million worldwide from a budget of $110 million.
At first, Lionsgate claimed that Ascendant was still moving forward as a theatrical project with director Lee Toland Krieger (The Age Of Adaline) and writer Adam Cozad (Tarzan). Those bold claims were soon adjusted mere weeks later with the announcement that the franchise would continue on the small screen. Both Krieger and Cozad remain involved in the TV series, but the real question is will the cast of the movies be returning in any capacity?
Had Alligent been a hit, casting wouldn't be a problem as Shailene Woodley, Theo James ZoKravitz, Miles Teller, and Ansel Elgort were all under contract to appear in all four films. As that didn't happen, the TV series is outside of their contractual obligations, and Woodley has made it pretty clear she has no interest in playing Tris on TV. Miles Teller told the press last year he was "unsure if he would participate", and to cut a long story short (too late), none of the primary cast seems that keen on returning.
Ultimately, it makes the most sense to reboot the cast to wrap up the main story and introduce the new characters to continue the series. I say that, but my knowledge of the Divergent films only extends to the Honest Trailers, so I'm probably the least qualified person to be speculating about what the future holds for Ascendant.
Divergent joins fellow stalled YA adaption the Mortal Instruments to have been given second life as a TV series. The second season of Shadow Hunters is currently available on Netflix with new episodes added weekly.