As Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment gear up to launch what it hopes will be its latest young-adult franchise in Divergent, it's been revealed that director Neil Burger will not be back for the sequel Insurgent, which is due to hit cinemas in March 2015 (followed by the third film Allegiant in March 2016). "Neil Burger is a rock star and he is doing a fantastic job on Divergent," states an official press release. "We can’t wait for you to see the film. But as amazing as Neil is he still cannot be in two places at once and thus needs to finish post production on Divergent while we gear up to start production on Insurgent. So, although Neil will continue on as part of our Divergent family as an executive producer, we sadly have to find another director for the next chapter in Veronica Roth’s fantastic series."
Divergent is based upon Veronica Roth's sci-fi book trilogy of the same name and centres on a female hero called Beatrice Prior (played by Shailene Woodley), whose life is changed when she decides to switch "factions" in a dystopian Chicago. The studio is hoping that the movie series follows in the footsteps of billion-dollar grossing YA series Twilight and The Hunger Games.
Shailene Woodley is joined in the cast of Divergent by Miles Teller (The Spectacular Now), Theo James (Bedlam), Zoe Kravitz (X-Men: First Class), Ansel Elgort (Carrie), Maggie Q (Nikita), Jai Courtney (A Good Day to Die Hard) and Kate Winslet (Carnage). The film is set for release on March 21st, 2014.