The Divergent movie series may have failed after enjoying some initial popularity, but there are a few reasons why the series needs to get a TV reboot. The Divergent film series is based on Veronica Roth’s novel series of the same name, which has been consistently praised by critics and has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. The main Divergent trilogy was adapted by Summit Entertainment beginning in 2014, and though the first film outperformed its budget by about $200 million, the series was canceled after the third film, Allegiant, bombed at the box office.
A fourth Divergent film was originally planned, but Ascendant was canceled before production ever began on the project. The Divergent series’ failure is often attributed to a waning interest in Young Adult fiction stories and the cast’s refusal to return for a TV movie or series. Although these reasons were valid at the time, the film industry’s landscape is constantly changing. With recent industry changes in mind, there are nine great reasons to create a Divergent TV reboot.
9 The Divergent Movie Series Didn’t Have A Proper Ending
One of the biggest reasons to reboot the Divergent series is that the outstanding story from the novels has not been completed on-screen. The final movie in the Divergent series, Allegiant, leaves many of the story’s most critical plot lines unresolved. A TV reboot of Divergent could finish the saga for fans unfamiliar with the book series by resolving the Bureau storyline and putting a bow on the most essential themes of the series. It’s always a shame when a story is left incomplete, especially one that garnered so much popularity when it first came out, so it would be great to see it completed, even if in a different format and with a different cast.
8 Divergent’s Book Story Works Better In A TV Show Format
The Divergent books tell a sprawling, expansive story that would actually fit much better in a TV format. An 8-10 episode season of TV can tell a much more thorough story than a 2-hour movie, which would allow the reboot to cut less material and be more faithful to the book series. This would also allow the series to further develop its characters and create a stronger investment from the audience. It would also allow Divergent to consider building on the book’s story by adding new material that enhances the characters or the overarching plot.
7 Divergent’s World Hasn’t Been Fully Explored Yet
The Divergent series takes place in a massive dystopian version of America, which has not been fully explored by any means. The beginning of the series is mainly confined to the walled city of Chicago, and even after leaving the city, the Divergent film series does not introduce much of the rest of the world. A TV reboot of Divergent could be much more thorough in its world-building and bring in some new communities or factions that don’t appear in the movies. The series could even work with Veronica Roth to establish a larger, more fleshed-out world.
6 Percy Jackson’s Reboot Proves There Is Still An Appetite For Young Adult Fiction
Part of the reason the Divergent series was originally canceled was a perceived lack of interest in the Young Adult (YA) Fiction genre. However, Disney’s Percy Jackson reboot proves that there is still an appetite for this genre. Divergent should be the next YA movie franchise to get a reboot after Percy Jackson because it has already proven it can attract fans. If the YA Fiction genre is still popular, as Percy Jackson suggests, Divergent should have no problem attracting the same fans who are driving interest in the Percy Jackson series.
5 Divergent’s Initial Popularity Proves The Story Is Worth Telling
The first Divergent film grossed nearly $300 million, which proves the story is good enough to succeed, even if the series fell short for other reasons. The hugely lucrative book series is further evidence of the viability of Divergent‘s premise and plot. Audiences seemingly grew tired of the Divergent movies by the time Allegiant came out in 2016, but that doesn’t mean the story cannot grip audiences for a longer period of time.
4 The Divergent Movies’ Mistakes Can Help The Reboot Know What To Avoid
The benefit of the Divergent movie series’ failure is that it can help a potential reboot understand what to avoid when adapting the series. A potential reboot could also use the best movies in the Divergent series to help understand what made the series so popular initially. By understanding the good and bad parts of the original film series, the reboot could begin with a leg up on the original adaptation. Most importantly it could avoid the mistakes that led to the Divergent series being canceled in the first place.
3 A Divergent TV Reboot Would Have More Time To Gather An Audience
One benefit a Divergent TV reboot would have over the film series is that TV shows have much more time to gather an audience. Movies are often defined by their performance at the box office, which takes place over a very limited amount of time. For a movie to succeed, it typically has to have people excited before its release because there isn’t as much time for its popularity to spread before it leaves theaters.
A TV show, on the other hand, can run for a season or two and build up a fan base that spreads the series’ popularity as it progresses. TV shows can take a couple of years to peak, as seen with Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones, whereas movies are often judged within a few weeks of their release. Divergent‘s reboot could use that extra time to spark interest in the franchise again.
2 A Divergent TV Cast Would Stick Around (Unlike The Movie Cast)
The Divergent series almost continued as TV production after Allegiant‘s box office flop, but most of the cast refused to return if the series was moving to television. This killed any chance of the series continuing, but a reboot could avoid the issue by starting out as a TV show in the first place. By casting committed actors who are happy to join a long-term TV project, the Divergent series could avoid losing its stars to other projects. It would make sense to cast a young group of up-and-coming actors looking to make a name for themselves in a high-budget TV production.
1 A Divergent TV Show Could Rely Less On Spectacle
One of the problems with high-budget movie series like Divergent is that the money involved is typically poured into creating spectacle through expensive special effects and elaborate fight scenes. Spectacles are enjoyable, and they often sell movie tickets, but overreliance on them inevitably hurts the narrative and causes the audience to lose interest. A TV reboot of Divergent would need to spread its budget more evenly, which would likely lead to a smaller focus on spectacle and a higher level of care being put into the story and characters. Spectacles may attract audiences, but a gripping story keeps them around.
