First Look at 'The Divergent Series: Insurgent'; Trailer Debuts Next Week

It may not be on the same level as The Hunger Games, but The Divergent Series is pushing ahead like it's the top dog in the YA field. Today brings a wealth of news on the sequel, Insurgent, starting with the first official image featuring returning stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Woodley's The Fault in Our Stars co-star, Ansel Elgort.

Lionsgate also revealed the full Insurgent trailer will debut next week December 12th. This comes after a brief teaser was released just a couple of weeks back. Finally, it looks like the studio is feeling pretty good about the franchise's future because they've signed Robert Schwentke to direct the third chapter, Allegiant part 1, which opens in March 2016. Yes, the final book in Veronica Roth's best-selling trilogy is being adapted into two movies, just as we've seen with Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Harry Potter's finales.

Naomi Watts and Octavia Spencer are two new faces to the cast, joining Woodley, James, Elgort, Kate Winslet, Zoe Kravitz, Miles Teller, Jai Courtney, Maggie Q, and more. The Divergent Series: Insurgent opens March 20th 2015.

SYNOPSIS: The Divergent Series: Insurgent raises the stakes for Tris as she searches for allies and answers in the ruins of a futuristic Chicago. Tris (Woodley) and Four (James) are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine (Winslet), the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris’s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past and ultimately the future of their world.

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Michael B. Jordan Joins 'Men Who Kill'; Chris Pine Eyes 'The Finest Hours'

* With Fantastic Four, the Rocky spinoff Creed, and John Hillcoat's Triple Nine on the way, Michael B. Jordan isn't lacking for things to do. But he's still taking time to add more to his slate, joining the upcoming CIA thriller, Men Who Kill. Nothing else is know about it at this time except TJ Fixman will write the script with Greg Berlanti (Life As We Know It) producing. [Variety]


* Last year we learned Robert Schwentke (Red , RIPD) was on board to direct Disney's The Finest Hours, based on the 1952 collision of two oil tankers near Cape Cod and the daring Coast Guard rescue that followed. But with Schwentke busy with the Divergent sequel, Insurgent, that job is now going to Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm), with Chris Pine in talks to star. Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson write the script, adapted from Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias' book. Pine would fit this movie in before he jumps into the next Star Trek film which is still in need of a director. [THR]

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Robert Schwentke to Direct WWII Film, 'Hauptmann'

For some, an utter failure like last year's RIPD would be a fast and ugly way to end a career. But somehow Robert Schwentke has managed to emerge from it smelling like a rose. Just a few days ago he was handed the reins on Insurgent, the sequel to Divergent, and now Schwentke has landed a project that will send him back to his native Germany.

Schwentke will pen and direct Hauptmann, a German-language WWII film "based on the true story of Willi Herold, a private in the German army who, in the final days of WWII, steals a uniform off a dead Luftwaffe Hauptmann, or captain. With the new borrowed authority, he collects a group of dispersed soldiers about him and makes his way through war-ravaged Europe."

Development on the film has already begun but with timing so tight on Insurgent it's unlikely Hauptmann will begin shooting any time soon.  [THR]

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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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Zach Galifianakis drops out of RIPD

One of the myriad of projects that Ryan Reynolds will be working on is R.I.P.D., based on the Dark Horse comic about a squad of undead cops that patrol the supernatural crime beat. Back in February it looked like Zach Galifianakis would clear some room in his busy schedule to partner up with Reynolds on the Robert Schwentke directed film, but now Deadline is reporting that the actor has dropped out. 

The reason doesn't appear to be anything all that surprising: scheduling. The film is set to shoot this summer, and Galifianakis has to shoot the Will Ferrell political comedy, Southern Rivals as well. Not to mention his commitment to the HBO series, Bored to Death. With the possibility R.I.P.D. could get pushed back due to Reynolds' Green Lantern sequel schedule, there was no way Galifianakis could stick around. 

Expect a replacement to be named soon if the film is going to get off the ground in a few months.

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Red

It's a little scary to think that Bruce Willis is old enough to be considered in the same category as Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman. Isn't this the same smooth talkin' slickster I used to try and emulate when he was on Moonlighting? God I'm old. While Willis has more than made the most of his action star persona, making the transition into more toned down roles, of late he seems to be slipping into the well worn role of hero more and more. In Red, Willis proves yet again that he's got more youthful vigor than actors half his age, ironically as an "over the hill" retired CIA agent adjusting horribly to life as a normal.

It's a setup we've seen before but rarely has it been done with this much style and flat out humor. Frank Moses(Willis) just can't get used to retirement. One of the best agents the CIA ever had, he's been forced into early retirement and now passes his time on the phone hitting on the bored, frustrated Sarah(the gorgeous Mary Louise Parker), handler of Frank's pension account. Frank's been in the seedy world of black ops and subterfuge that he wouldn't know how to flirt if his life depended on it. Sarah's just desperate enough to find it cute. Funny, a guy who killed people for a living is too scared to ask a woman out on a date. Eventually he works up the nerve, but before he even has a moment to celebrate, Frank's home is invaded by a black-garbed death squad that riddles his house with bullets.

Frank knows the score. His old bosses are out to get him, the question is why? He also knows that anybody close to him is a target, so his little date with Sarah gets pushed up a little bit. Oh, and their probably won't be much hand holding and "getting to know you's", not when you're on the run from the law and staring down a gun barrel every five minutes. They need help, and Frank calls upon his old(insert joke here) crew for back-up:  grizzled vet Joe(Morgan Freeman), the elegant and deadly Victoria(Helen Mirren), and the insane Marvin(John Malkovich). Realizing they've all been designated as RED(Retired Extremely Dangerous) and marked for termination, the only recourse is to arm up and fight back.

Based on the limited, violent graphic novel by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, Red jettisons the seriousness of the source material and replaces it with light hearted humor. The trick was finding a balance, and director Robert Schwentke(The Time Traveler's Wife) walks the tightrope perfectly. Willis and company are clearly having a blast bouncing jokes off of one another, and there's something extremely sexy about Helen Mirren manning a gatling gun. There's something about her that's sexy regardless. Even though this was meant to be more of a wacky diversion, there are some serious stakes involved. The action, while effective and downright badass at times(check the sick finale of the first car chase) isn't constant. So when the bullets start flying and people we've come to love start getting hurt, it's all the more painful.

Red isn't going to tax your brain. That's clearly not the point. While ostensibly about shadowy government organizations and kill squads, Red is about having a good time watching a bunch of unexpected faces blowing sh*t up. The violence is over-the-top, bordering on Shoot 'em Up levels at times, and the laughs never slow down for a second. Arguably the most fun flick of the Fall season, Red will make you think twice the next time your old neighbor tells you to get off his lawn. Better just do what he says, he might just be a RED.

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Another nail in the Deadpool coffin? Schwentke to direct R.I.P.D., Reynolds to star

Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote that Ryan Reynolds is the busiest friggin' guy in Hollywood? It's not getting any better, and at this point the guy seriously needs to sign up for some sort of cloning program. We learned a few weeks ago that he was attatched to star in R.I.P.D., based on the comic book series about a team of cops who work to solve undead crimes. Robert Schwentke(Red) was the guy expected to helm the project. That's now been confirmed, along with Reynolds' involvement.

So what does this do to the chances of Deadpool ever getting done? Reynolds has multiple films on the way, starting with The Change-Up(alongside Jason Bateman), Safe House(with Denzel Washington), R.I.P.D., and then Warner Brothers wants both Green Lantern sequels filming some time next year as well. Do you see a window where Deadpool could fit in? I don't.

Add that to the story about Robert Rodriguez possibly backing out of directing Deadpool because of his own heavy workload and it's starting to look like the Merc with a Mouth will be on the backburner for at least a few years.

Cool image provided by Pop Culture Madness!

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