Next Divergent Movie Might Become a Multi-Episode TV Show

When it was reported in July that the fourth part of the Divergent series was heading to television, it was presumed that this would means as a movie. However, producers Lionsgate have now revealed that the intention is to resolve the story as a multi-part TV season.

In an interview with Deadline, Lionsgate TV Group Chairman Kevin Beggs admitted that the disappointing box office returns for Allegiant, the most recent film in the series of Young Adult adaptations, had forced the studio to rethink its plans.

"The performance of the last segment of the theatrical didn't really create a situation where [we] could commit the production resources necessary to really make the production we needed," he said. "[However, we are] excited about the possibility of what the series could look like--resolving the novel in a season across 10 to 13 episodes and then expanding from there into multiple seasons.

"This is an example of what we call the virtuous cycle of content bouncing back and forth from TV and film. The economic upside on a long-term series franchise is very substantial."

Last week, Miles Teller, who has appeared in all the Divergent movies to date, admitted that he had no idea if he would be involved any longer. "I honestly haven't talked to anybody," he told THR. "It caught us all by surprise."

"Things do change anytime they're messing with something that was not the original intention. We all signed on for it in hopes that it'd be released in theaters, and we all had every intention of finishing [the franchise]."

Allegiant's box office debut brought in $29.1 million, which was a more than 40 percent drop from both Divergent and first sequel Insurgent's opening weekend earnings. Allegiant went on to make $179.2 million with a budget of $110 million, not including marketing.

The series also stars Theo James (Underworld: Awakening), Ansel Elgort (Carrie), and Zoe Kravitz (Mad Max: Fury Road), and is is based on a post-apocalyptic book series by author Veronica Roth.