Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Divergent Screenwriter Evan Daugherty on Tris and the Movie Adaptation of Divergent

Evan Daugherty, the screenwriter of the upcoming Divergent movie has recently talked to Bookish.com and he dishes about Tris' character development and more movie stuff.

Bookish: So you obviously read some popular stuff being shopped around–why did you choose to adapt ”Divergent?”

ED: It’s a mutual thing of feeling out whether your take on a piece of material meshes with what the studio wants to do. The things that drew me to ”Divergent” were the specifics of Tris’ character. She starts off in that incredibly sheltered, selfless, peaceful world and then basically she decides to join the equivalent of the Navy Seals. That’s a big character arc, it’s fun to track that. And “Divergent” differentiates itself by being in the vein of some movies that I really like, sort of the military training movie–like “Top Gun” or a guilty pleasure of mine which is “GI Jane.”


Bookish: What has been the biggest adaptation challenge for you?

ED: Tracking Tris from where she starts to where she ends. It’s tricky because the book is a very packed read with a lot of big ideas. So, distilling that into a cool, faithful two-hour movie is challenging. Not only do you have to establish five factions, but you have to acknowledge that there’s a sixth entity, which is the divergent, and you also have the factionless. So there’s a world that really has to be built out for the big screen…the movie is going to do it a little more efficiently.

Bookish: And of course, there needs to be emphasis on the all-important romance between Tris and Four.
ED: I respond to the fact that it is an action-heavy YA book, and I know–having talked to Veronica about it–she’s very proud of that fact. I get hung up on the toughness of the movie but of equal importance is the love story between Tris and Four. It’s inherently and inextricably linked to Tris’ character journey. There will be plenty of sexual tension and chemistry, but it’s important that all of that stuff doesn’t just feel like it’s thrown in, but that it all helps Tris grow as a character.

Bookish: How have you worked through translating the simulation scenes to the big screen?
ED: The simulations provide some of the bigger challenges. For cinematic references, Chris Nolan did such a cool job in “Inception” with that world of dreams that looked real but weren’t quite real. You want the simulations to be visually rich, and you also want them to have stakes to them. You want them to be scary and you want them to feel real.

Bookish: Have you envisioned any actors in the roles you’re writing?
ED: Despite all the cast rumors that I’ve seen, I haven’t really let that seep into my brain too much–probably because I read the book so many times before I started seeing that discussion happen [on fan sites].

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Actors Who Are Considered to Play Four in Divergent Movie

Deadline has reported that there are four potential actors who are vying for the role of Four or Tobias Eaton in the film adaptation of Veronica Roth's novel entitled "Divergent." No, Alexander Ludwig is not one of them. You should bear this in mind that this is all rumors and not official. Anyway, Deadline says that the actors who are rumored to play Four include Lucas Till, Luke Bracey, Jack Reynor, and Brenton Thwaites. Accordingly, these four actors have had their chemistry reading with Shailene Woodley, who will play Tris, last November 14, 2012. 

Lucas Till might be the most recognized among the four because of his involvement in quite popular films like the X-men: First Class as Havoc. Other than that, Lucas might be a familiar face in different fandoms, particularly The Hunger Games (THG) and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (TMI: COB). It was reported before that Lucas had auditioned for the role of Peeta Mellark in THG and Jace Wayland in TMI: COB but he wasn't able to get any of those career-rising roles. Would this be Lucas' time to burst up his career? 

Lucas Till


On the other hand, Australian actor Luke Bracey was in Monte Carlo with Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, and Kate Cassidy. He was also part of the Australian soap opera Home and Away.

Luke Bracey


Jack Reynor was in What Richard Did while Brenton Thwaites is pretty much known in Australia as Luke Gallagher in the Fox8 teen drama series, SLiDE, and Stu Henderson in the soap opera Home and Away.

Jack Reynor

Brenton Thwaites

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Divergent Book 3 Rough Draft is Finished - Veronica Roth Expresses Her feelings Via Animated GIFs

Veronica Roth has just finished the rough draft of the last and still untitled book of her Divergent trilogy. On her Tumblr blog, the author was able to express her feelings upon finishing a rough draft of the book. By the way, Veronica has a mock title for her third book. She jokingly called it "Detergent." She also clarifies that the rumored Divergent book 3 title "Convergent" is not true. I guess let's just wait until the third book is out.  Here is her post:

So, I’m going to say something to you, but I’m going to preface it with these caveats:
A. Remember: this is just a tiny step in the giant staircase of book-making.
B. Book publishing is a long process, only a portion of which depends on me and my progress. See this post for clarification.
With that said: I finished the rough draft of book 3 on Saturday! And this is pretty much how my celebration went.
Stage One: Confusion
Wait. Did I just finish?

Stage Two: Tentative Excitement
I think perhaps I did.

Stage Three: Wild Flailing of Arms

Stage Four: Triumph and Pride
VOILA. THERE IT IS.

Stage Five: Reality Check
Wait, but there are so many things to fix.

Stage Six: Exasperated Sigh

Stage Seven: Coping
…I don’t have a gif for this. All I did was decide to take a few days off before tackling the first round of edits.
Wait, I do have another gif:
Bonus Stage: Realizing that for the next few weeks you are THE ONLY PERSON ON THE PLANET WHO KNOWS WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BOOK.

I’m sorry for gloating. (No I’m not.) (Yes I am.) (No I’m not.)
Now that Veronica is done with her GIFS.  Here how I am feeling:


Share your feelings in the comments!!

Indeed, book writing is a lengthy process but don't worry Miss V, a lot of fans are already eager to read it.  We are always here for you if you need inspiration.





Colton Haynes of Teen Wolf Rumored to Play Four in Divergent

Colton Haynes, who plays Jackson in the TV series "Teen Wolf" has recently followed Divergent author Veronica Roth while tweeting about a very great news to share - which make fans think that he might be part of the film adaptation of the novel. It has already reported that Colton will not return for the third season of Teen Wolf. Why? Read it here. Hmmmm.


What do you think of Colton Haynes as Four in Divergent? A lot of fans are already making their own graphics making Colton as their Four. Look at the fan art below:


What is Divergent? The Story, Characters, Factions, and More

Divergent is a novel written by Veronica Roth. It is actually a trilogy with sequel entitled "Insurgent," which was released in May 2012. Roth is in the middle of writing the third and last novel of the trilogy. The last book is not yet titled but is expected to be released in fall 2013. 

The series revolves around the adventure of Beatrice "Tris" Prior. Tris lives in a city (believed to be a futuristic set of Chicago, Illinois) divided into five factions - Abnegation (selfless), Dauntless (brave), Erudite (knowledge), Amity (peace), and Candor (honesty). Tris was raised in the Abnegation faction that teaches her how to become selfless. However, Tris felt something unnatural with being in the Abnegation and when the time came that children in her age get to choose the faction they want, she left. In their world, when a boy or girl reaches the age of 16, he or she will undergo certain exams and the result of that exam will determine what faction he or she belongs to. The results for Tris' examination were not typical as she had three factions to choose from - Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless, making her a Divergent. Being a Divergent presents threats to the society and that is why the examiner (Tori) told Tris to keep the results as a secret. Eventually, Tris chose Dauntless. But the adventure has just began. Tris must again undergo the initiation process if she is deserving in the Dauntless faction. During the process, she met different friends and enemies, and the love of her life. (FYI if someone cannot pass the initiation process, he or she will become a factionless - no home, no food). Read Divergent and the sequel Insurgent and find out how Tris dealt with life's difficulty because of her choice, overthrowing a greedy Erudite leader, and grasping a world with equality.

Divergent Main Characters 
(from Wikipedia)

Tris

Beatrice "Tris" Prior is the narrator and main character of the series Divergent. She is described as being very short and not beautiful. She has blonde hair framed around her face and blue eyes. Tris is 16 years old and is the youngest child of Andrew and Natalie Prior. She has an older brother named Caleb Prior. During the aptitude test, she learns that she is Divergent, something that it is extremely dangerous. Later in the book, she learns that Divergent means a class of individuals who are not suited for one faction, but who show traits of several factions. After much struggle, she chooses to be a Dauntless initiate. Tris is very stubborn and also tough. She is quite thin and weak, but becomes muscular during training as a Dauntless initiate.

Shailene Woodley will play Tris in the movie adaptation of Divergent, to be released on March 21, 2014.

Four

Tobias "Four" Eaton is Tris's instructor and love interest. Unlike Tris, he is tall and has short dark hair and beautiful deep blue eyes. He is two years older than Tris and originally came from the same faction as she did, Abnegation. He ran from Abnegation into Dauntless to escape his physically abusive father, Marcus. He protects Tris from the others both by defending her when she is attacked and by keeping their romance private so the other initiates will not think Tris's rank is a result of favoritism. "Four" is a nickname given in his first stage of initiation by his fellow initiation class and instructors when he had only four fears to face. He also has an antagonistic relationship with Eric, a Dauntless leader, who is corrupting the Dauntless philosophy. In one of the final chapters of the book, Tris learns that Tobias is also Divergent.

Caleb

Caleb Prior is the older brother of Tris. He is less than a year older than Tris, so they are in the same grade at school. Caleb is described as a boy with green eyes and dark hair. Caleb constantly reminds Tris of the Abnegation ways, something she hates to be corrected on, but says something that surprises her before the Choosing Ceremony; he tells her to choose what she wants, not what her family wants. She takes this to heart when she chooses Dauntless over Abnegation. Caleb chooses Erudite before her choosing. Eventually, Tris goes to visit Caleb in Erudite. He is happy to see her but gets upset when she insults him for following the standard Erudite ways. Caleb admires Tris for jumping onto the net in the Dauntless entrance pit twice.

Christina
Christina is one of Tris's best friends who is a tall girl with brown skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. She is originally from Candor but also chooses Dauntless over her own faction. During the physical fighting stage, she is beaten by Molly but proves herself stronger. Christina is tall, slender, pretty, and has a part in creating Tris's new look in Dauntless. She is energetic and not weak.

Peter

Peter is Tris's main enemy. He is muscular and tall with shiny dark hair and dark green eyes. He is from Candor, and Christina tells Tris that he is always rude and is not cut out for Candor, saying that he would beat other kids but blame it on them when the adults came. He picks on Tris by calling her a "Stiff" and harassing her physically. The reason he hurts her is because Tris has proven stronger than he expected, prompting jealousy. Whenever people are stronger than Peter, he is jealous, such as when Edward was ranked the highest, and Peter stabbed him in the eye with a butter knife to scare him. His hope was to make him leave the faction, which was successful. One of Tris's fears in her fear landscape is Peter's burning her on the stake. Peter surrenders to her and her group at the end of Divergent after Tris shoots him, and they set off on the train together, with Caleb, Tobias, and Marcus.

Will
Will was one of Tris's best friends. He is originally from Erudite and has "blond hair and a crease between his eyebrows." He is the love interest of Christina, and, before they become a couple, Tris notes that Will and Christina share idle touches a lot. Will is funny and protective of both Tris and Christina, not allowing Al to come near Tris after he has taken part in hurting her with Peter and Drew. Will dies because Tris shoots him in the head in Abnegation when he is controlled by the serum. She later feels very guilty about this action and hides it from everyone.

Marcus
Marcus Eaton is Tobias's father and is an Abnegation leader. He is very abusive and whipped Four often as a child. Marcus was accused of cruelty by the Erudite and, as Tris states, the Erudite are right about some things. He escapes the Dauntless Compound with Tris at the end of the book, but not by Tris's choice.


Al
Al is a Candor-born Dauntless initiate who develops a crush on Tris during stage one of initiation. Out of all of the Dauntless initiates, Al has the hardest time coping with the transition into Dauntless life. He does not like the violence that is sewn into the initiation process, and he quickly makes himself seem weak when he does not willingly participate in the fights in stage one. As he continues to do poorly, Al faces elimination at the conclusion of stage one but is spared when two of the other transfers quit. He then continues to struggle in stage two and lands himself in last place while Tris moves up to first place. That night, Al works with Peter and Drew to try and push Tris over the railing of the chasm but is unsuccessful. Al begs Tris to forgive him, but she does not, and Al commits suicide by jumping into the same chasm.


Natalie
Natalie Prior was born as a Dauntless; a daughter of a Dauntless leader. She transferred into Abnegation during the Choosing Ceremony. Mrs. Prior is Divergent and was told by her mother to transfer because it was unsafe for her to remain in Dauntless. At some point, she marries Andrew Prior and later gave birth to Caleb and Beatrice. Natalie remained a loving and supporting parent towards her children despite them transferring to another faction. She was instrumental in saving Tris after being captured by Dauntless soldiers at the cost of her life.

Andrew
Andrew Prior was the father of Tris and Caleb and the husband of Natalie Prior. He was a member in the city council, a group of Abnegation tasked in governing the city. He was like most of the Abnegation people, except for when his children left him. His wife described him as being "selfish", and to be selfish is a very big thing in his faction. Andrew Prior was born Erudite and his parents were friends of Jeanine Matthews'. He is presumably a descendant of Edith Prior.

Eric
Eric is a Dauntless leader who was an Erudite transfer. He was eighteen, putting in the same initiate class as Four. Eric has an unbelievable number of piercings and long, dark, greasy hair. He is also described as having cold eyes that made him menacing.

Uriah, Lynn, and Marlene - Dauntless-born in the same initiation class as Tris. Uriah is revealed to be Divergent. Marlene is always smiling and cheerful, an upbeat person. She and Uriah are in a relationship, but Marlene is killed after being controlled by a simulation to jump off a roof. Lynn initially did not like Tris, but the two become friendly. She secretly loves Marlene as more than a friend and is jealous and angry about Uriah and Marlene's relationship. Lynn is killed in the attack on Erudite.

Zeke and Shauna - friends of Four. Zeke is Uriah's brother, and he acted as a Dauntless-traitor spy until he turned up at Candor with a wounded Tori in tow. Shauna is Lynn's sister, and she is shot in the back when Tris' party pursues Jeanine Matthews after the secret meeting between Max and Jack. Shauna becomes paralyzed from below the waist and requires the use of a wheelchair. She and Zeke are in a relationship.

Tori and Harrison - chosen as leaders along with Four. Harrison is characterized as being older. Tori is an artist at the Dauntless tattoo shop. She ran Tris' simulation before the Choosing and warned her to keep her Divergence a secret. Tori's brother was killed because he was found to be Divergent, and Tori wants revenge. She acted as a spy with Zeke in the Erudite compound and discovered that Jeanine's lab was heavily protected. Tori gets her revenge on Jeanine.

Max
Max - a corrupt Dauntless leader who allied with Erudite to destroy Abnegation. He wanted Four to work with him, but he settled for Eric.

Jeanine
Jeanine Matthews - the leader of the Erudite, chosen based on her high IQ. She is the developer of the simulation serum and main antagonist. One of her primary goals is to neutralize the threat posed by the Divergent's ability to crack simulations. She obtained the important information from Abnegation during the attack and has kept it hidden on her private computer. She has also taken a special interest in Caleb. She was killed by Tori in revenge for the murder of her brother.

Johanna Reyes - spokeswoman for Amity, which does not elect a leader. Characterized as pretty but with a terrible scar running down her face.

Jack Kang - leader at Candor who administers the Truth Serum.

Susan and Robert Black - the Prior's neighbors back at Abnegation. Robert chose Amity, while Susan stayed Abnegation. Susan is with the group that escapes the attack on Abnegation and flees to Amity. She is friendly to Tris and exhibits that typical Abnegation selflessness. Tris observes that Susan and Caleb may be interested in each other.

Evelyn (Eaton) Johnson - Four's mother and leader of the Factionless. She had an affair while married to Marcus and, allegedly, was told to leave Abnegation. Four is initially angry over her abandonment but knows that she was abused by his father. Later he feels that she was unfairly treated. Tris doesn't trust Evelyn.

Edith Prior - Possibly related to Tris as they share the same surname, who was previously known as Amanda Ritter.

The Factions in Divergent series
Abnegation - the Selfless


Abnegation is the one and only faction dedicated to selflessness and forgetting oneself for the sake of others. 

Description/Traits: 

-Sit quietly and wait.
   
-Bow heads, a sign of respect, when greeting each other.
   
-Not manipulative, but not forthright.

-Clothing is all gray and simple.
   
-The only adornment allowed is a watch.
   
-Female Abnegation typically wear their hair in a bun/knot.

-Rivals with the Erudite Faction

-No official leader; led by governmental council including Abnegation member Marcus Eaton

Erudite - the Intelligent




Erudite is the one and only faction dedicated to knowledge, intelligence, curiosity, and astuteness. It was formed by those who blamed ignorance for the war that had occured in the past causing them to split into factions in the first place.  

-Characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly.

-Chat about books and newspapers; in constant pursuit of knowledge. Curiosity- it drives them to seek knowledge.

-Most members wear glasses no matter how perfect their vision is.
-Each member must wear at least one piece of blue clothing.

-Rivals with the Abnegation Faction.

-Leader: Jeanine Matthews

Dauntless - the Brave


Dauntless is the one and only faction dedicated to bravery, nerve, and elimination of fear. It was formed by those who blamed cowardice for human nature's faults. Tris chooses to join this faction during her Choosing Ceremony. 

- Fearless, undaunted, and brave.
-Courageously resolute, especially in the face of danger or difficulty; not discouraged.

-Bravery, courage, fighting and physical skills.

-All-black clothes, tattoos, and piercings

-Neutral with all factions

Leader: Eric, Four

Amity - the Peaceful

Amity is the one and only faction dedicated to peacefulness, kindness, generosity, and neutrality. Amity was formed by those who blamed war and fighting for human nature's faults. 

-They love music, art, games, and laughter. 
-They give hugs when greeting.

-Members dress comfortably in red and yellow clothing.

-Rivals with the Candor Faction

-No official leader; but rather a representative in Johanna Reyes

Candor - the Honest

Candor was formed by those who blamed duplicity and deception for human nature's faults. Because of this, the Candor are known to value honesty, and their symbol is a set of scales bound by a circle. 

-Honest, trustworthy, sound leaders, and able to read body language to detect lies.

Black and white clothes. Black suits with white ties for men.

-Rivals with the Amity Faction.

-No official leader, Representative Jack Kang

Lionsgate Believes Divergent Will Replace the Success of The Hunger Games and Twilight Saga

Lionsgate believes that the film adaptation of Veronica Roth's "Divergent" will replace the success of Twilight Saga in terms of making huge profits to its investors. Roth's Divergent is already ahead on its sales at the same point of "The Hunger Games"and "Twilight's" life cycle. Lionsgate also talked about how passionate Divergent fans are. 

Divergent will be released on March 21, 2014 and will be directed by Neil Burger (Limitless). Shailene Woodley (Descendants) will play the lead role of Tris Prior. No other official cast has been announced yet.

What do you think my fellow Divergent fan? I'm sure Divergent will be a huge success in the box office! 

Source: The Wrap

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Divergent Movie Casting Calls and Auditions

According to acting-auditions.org, casting calls and auditions for the movie adaptation of Veronica Roth's novel Divergent is on its way. Divergent will be directed by Neil Burger and will released on March 21, 2014. It will be distributed by Summit Entertainment, a subsidiary of Lionsgate that also brought the Twilight Saga films. As with the official casting, it has been reported that Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) is in final negotiations for playing the part of main protagonist Tris Prior.

If you are interested, please visit their site at http://www.acting-auditions.org/2012/10/casting-calls-and-auditions-for.html.

Note: This is not official.

UPDATE: You can visit this Facebook page for Divergent Extras Casting. Extras for the movie are handled by Atmosphere Casting of Chicago.




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