'The Divergent Series: Insurgent' Reveals a First Teaser Trailer

Don't worry, fans of dystopic future YA adaptations, The Hunger Games may be wrapping up but The Divergent Series is here to pick up the slack. The first film arrived earlier this year and while it hardly set the box office on fire, it was more than enough to move forward on Insurgent and the rest of Veronica Roth's trilogy, expanded to four movies because that's just how things are now. With the full trailer expected to debut in front of 'Mockingjay', an exciting teaser has arrived featuring star Shailene Woodley.

Insurgent picks up where the last film left off with Tris (Woodley) and Four (Theo James) on the run from Erudite leader, Jeanine (Kate Winslet), who hopes to wipe out anybody who threatens the delicate "faction" system. This footage seems to take entirely in a simulated landscape, which will play a major part in the next three movies. Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Ashley Judd, Ansel Elgort, Maggie Q, Miles Teller, and Zoe Kravitz return, joined by an impressive pair of new additions in Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts. The question is whether audiences will take to Insurgent more than they did Divergent, which was overtaken by the $300M success of The Maze Runner.

We'll find out when The Divergent Series: Insurgent opens on March 20th 2015.

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'The Divergent Series: Insurgent' to Open in 3D; New Motion Poster Featuring Ansel Elgort

As The Hunger Games begins to wind down with next month's 'Mockingjay', Divergent is just getting off the starting blocks. The Shailene Woodley-led film, based on the best selling YA series, pulled in a solid $288M for Lionsgate earlier this year, and with the sequel coming next March the studio has announced The Divergent Series: Insurgent will open in 3D. Cha-ching! Of course, there will also be a 2D option for those who don't necessarily need to see Theo James coming right at them, although I wouldn't complain if it was Maggie Q.

To celebrate this announcement, Lionsgate is releasing eight interactive 3D motion posters, the first featuring Ansel Elgort as Caleb, the brainy sibling to Woodley's "Tris" Prior, and of course her co-star in The Fault in Our Stars. A new poster will be revealed each hour, so all you need to do is come back here and click on the image to see which one is next!

The Divergent Series: Insurgent opens March 20th 2015. 

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Daniel Dae Kim Joins 'Insurgent'; Judi Dench Has 'Tulip Fever'; Zac Efron Spins DJ Project

* Lost alum and current Hawaii Five-O star Daniel Dae Kim has come aboard Insurgent, the Divergent sequel starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James. Kim will play Jack Kang, leader of the Candor faction. He joins other newcomers to the franchise Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts, Jonny Weston, and Suki Waterhouse. Insurgent opens March 20th 2015.

* Two things every period drama should have and sadly not enough do: a script by Tom Stoppard and a role for Dame Judi Dench. Fortunately, Tulip Fever now has both with the cherished actress coming aboard to join Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Christoph Waltz, Zack Galifianakis, Holliday Grainger, Jack O'Connell, and other new addition, Glee star Matthew Morrison. Justin Chadwick is directing the adaptation which centers on a married woman in 17th century Amsterdam who has an affair with the man painting her portrait, all during a time in which the tulip craze is at an all-time high. Dench will play the Abbess of St. Ursula while Morrison is Mattheus, a Bohemian artist with a drinking problem. [Variety]

* Zac Efron, still riding high on Neighbors' success, will hop on the wheels of steel for an untitled DJ film by Max Joseph. Joseph was a producer on the movie Catfish and host's the TV series version for MTV. The film, which is currently looking for "hot young actors and actresses" for other lead roles" (really?), will have Efron as a DJ trying to come up with his first hit track. It's being described as a coming-of-age story, penned by Joseph and Meaghan Oppenheimer. Filming begins next month and all I can ask for is that Efron doesn't make turntablists look bad. [TheWrap]

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Naomi Watts Joins 'Divergent' Sequels 'Insurgent' and 'Allegiant'

Naomi Watts has done blockbusters before; let's not forget she was the apple of King Kong's eye in Peter Jackon's hit film, and she's even scared up a franchise in The Ring. And while she's been in a little bit of a slump lately, a good way to bounce back is by taking one of the more complex roles in the next three Divergent sequels.

Watts has signed on to play Evelyn in the next three Divergent movies, Insurgent and the two-part finale, Allegiant. Robert Schwentke is directing with Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, and most of the previous cast returning. Evelyn is the leader of the Factionless, those who for various reasons didn't make the cut in their chosen factions or were abandoned by them. She's also the mother of Tobias "Four" Eaton (James) and a woman with her own desire for power.

Insurgent opens  March 20, 2015. [THR]

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Rhys Ifans Goes 'Through the Looking Glass'; Jonny Weston and Suki Waterhouse Join 'Insurgent'

* And the Mad Hatter has a new daddy. While Mark Rylance was said to be up for the role of Zanik Hightopp, the father of Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland sequel, Through the Looking Glass, the part has instead been claimed by Rhys Ifans. He joins the returning Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Mia Wasikowska, along with Sacha Baron Cohen as Time, the film's primary villain. Linda Woolverton is again providing the script with James Bobin coming aboard to direct. Through the Looking Glass is set to open May 27th 2016. [TheWrap]

* Filming on the Divergent sequel, Insurgent, kicked off this week and with it the cast has been firmed up with the additions of Jonny Weston (Chasing Mavericks) and model/actress Suki Waterhouse, who apparently has no connection to Sooki Stackhouse. Weston's role is unclear but Stackhouse will be Marlene, a member of the Dauntless faction alongside Shailene Woodley's Tris and Theo James' Four. They join Octavia Spencer, Kate Winslet, Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Jai Courtney, and Zoe Kravitz in the Robert Schwentke-directed film, set to open March 20th 2015.

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Octavia Spencer Joins 'Insurgent' as Johanna Reyes

In Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy, the human population is divided into five factions with a single primary attribute. As we saw in the first film, Shailene Woodley's character leaves the self-sacrificing Abnegation clan for the risk-taking Dauntless. But one of the other factions we saw only a glimpse of in the film were the peace-loving flower children of Amity, and now the sequel Insurgent has found their most important member in Octavia Spencer.

The Academy Award-winning Spencer will play Johanna Reyes, the "leader" (they're too peaceful to have true leaders) of the Amity that will play a much larger role in the sequel. Woodley is back as Beatris "Tris" Prior, who continues to fight a growing conspiracy surrounding divergents, those who have more than one attribute and thus do not fit in any faction. Kate Winslet, Theo James, Zoe Kazan, Miles Teller, Ray Stevenson, and more are expected to reprise their roles. Johanna's an important character the rest of the way and having someone like Spencer to play her is a huge plus.

Insurgent opens on March 20th 2015.

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'Divergent' Sequel 'Insurgent' Lands Robert Schwentke as Director

When Gary Ross left The Hunger Games and passed the reins over to Francis Lawrence, many were worried there would be a drop in quality. But it turns out that Catching Fire was actually an improvement, and the franchise is now considered to be in good hands for the long haul. The same situation could be happening for Divergent, which doesn't open for a month but already has seen Neil Burger decide not to return for the sequel, Insurgent. With pre-production set to begin soon, Summit Entertainment has found Burger's replacement.

Summit has announced Red and RIPD director Robert Schwentke for Insurgent, based on the second book in Veronica Roth's YA trilogy. Akiva Goldsman is penning the script based on an initial screenplay by Brian Duffield, and of course Shailene Woodley is expected to return as Beatrice "Tris" Prior. Schwentke is picking up on a production that has been operating on a condensed time frame. Burger's continued efforts to finish up Divergent is starting to bleed over into Insurgent's pre-production, meaning Schwentke is going to need to jump right in as soon as possible.

Schwentke probably doesn't seem like the most obvious choice for a film like this but I would point to German thriller Tattoo and Flightplan as examples of his greater range.  Insurgent is scheduled to be released on March 20th 2015, and if it does well maybe Schwentke will be back for Allegiant in 2016.

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