Summit Entertainment has released a new image from director Neil Burger’s (The Illusionist) adaptation of the YA novel Divergent.  Based on the book by author Veronica Roth, the story takes place in a futuristic society where people are divided into factions based on their personalities, and Shailene Woodley’s Tris is a young girl who doesn’t fit into any of the pre-assigned groups and faces termination due to her status as a “Divergent.”  This new image highlights a pivotal moment in the story when Tris begins her initiation into one of the factions, and it also provides a great view of the Chicago skyline, which is where the pic is being filmed.

Hit the jump to check out the new image along with a high-resolution version of the previous image that was released, and if you missed it click here to check out our recent lengthy interview with Roth about the film and the final novel in the book series.  Divergent also stars Kate Winslet, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn, and Ray Stevenson and opens on March 21, 2014.

Based on the best-selling first book in a trilogy, Divergent is set in a future society, divided into factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue and including Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the intelligent).  On an appointed day of every year, all 16-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives, but when that day comes for Beatrice “Tris” Prior (Shailene Woodley), her choice will surprise everyone, including herself.  Directed by Neil Burger (Limitless), the film also stars Theo James, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn, Kate Winslet, Miles Teller, Maggie Q, Ray Stevenson, Mekhi Phifer, Jai Courtney and Zoe Kravitz.

With the film now in production in Chicago, Collider was invited, along with a handful of other online outlets, to chat with author Veronica Roth about what this whole experience has been like for her.  During the interview, she talked about her first reaction when she read the script, what it was like to be on set, what fans of the book series can expect from Allegiant, the final installment in the trilogy, whether she’d ever write from another character’s point of view again, what it’s been like to see the characters and world in her head brought to life, which actors have asked her the most questions about their characters, why Shailene Woodley is perfect for Tris, the chemistry between her and Theo James, the director’s vision versus her own, and what she’s a fangirl about herself.  Check out what she had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers, especially if you haven’t read the books.

Summit Entertainment’s adaptation of the bestselling Veronica Roth novel, Divergent, isn’t due out until 2014, but the studio has already tapped screenwriter Brian Duffield (Jane Got a Gun) to pen the sequel.  The second book in the trilogy, titled Insurgent, follows the [spoiler?] continuing adventures of Beatrice “Tris” Prior as war looms on the horizon and people are forced to choose sides.  The recently-revealed title of third book is Allegiant and it’s due out this October.

Divergent, the Neil Burger film, stars Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn, Ray Stevenson, Mekhi Phifer, Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Ben Lamb, Christian Madsen and Amy Newbold.  Divergent opens on March 21, 2014.  Hit the jump for more.

Summit Entertainment only just began production on the YA adaptation Divergent, but the studio has now released the first image of Shailene Woodley as the film’s protagonist, Tris.  Based on the book by author Veronica Roth, the story takes place in a futuristic society where people are divided into factions based on their personalities, and Woodley’s Tris is a young girl who doesn’t fit into any of the pre-assigned groups and faces termination due to her status as a “Divergent.”  While many will draw similarities to The Hunger Games (this debut image doesn’t exactly set the two apart), I’ve heard good things about Divergent and The Descendants star Woodley is proving to be one of the more exciting young talents working today.  She turns in a stellar performance in the upcoming The Spectacular Now.

Hit the jump to check out the debut image from director Neil Burger’s (Limitless) adaptation.  The film also stars Kate Winslet, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn, Ray Stevenson, Mekhi Phifer, Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Ben Lamb, Christian Madsen and Amy Newbold.  Divergent opens on March 21, 2014.

We’ve got some new casting news:

• Kelly Reilly (Flight) has landed the female lead role in Heaven Is for Real, based on the book with the same name, about a young boy named Colton Burpo who comes out of an emergency operation with compelling stories of a visit to heaven.  Greg Kinnear will also star as Reilly’s husband in the film.
• Model and actress Kate Upton (The Three Stooges) is in talks to join Nick Cassavetes’s The Other Woman, which will also star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann.
• Tony Goldwyn (The Mechanic) has just joined director Neil Burger’s film Divergent, which is a futuristic thriller based on author Veronica Roth’s New York Times bestseller.  Divergent will also star Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Theo James (Underworld: Awakening), and Kate Winslet.

Hit the jump for additional pertinent information on the casting.

Check out today’s latest casting announcements:

• Ashley Judd (Heat) has joined the cast of Neil Burger’s Divergent, starring Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet, Aaron Eckhart and Theo James.  The adaptation of the best-selling Veronica Roth novel series is currently in production and opens March 21, 2014.
• Joel McHale (Community) is in negotiations to join an untitled romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, who will reunite with The Wedding Singer director Frank Coraci.

Hit the jump for more.

Not only did Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier kick off its production today, but so did Summit’s highly-anticipated adaptation, Divergent.  The feature treatment of the popular YA novel by Veronica Roth was written by Vanessa Taylor (Hope Springs) for director Neil Burger (Limitless).  The plot centers on Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley of The Descendants) who doesn’t fit into the pre-established factions of her dystopian future world.  When she discovers a plot to destroy her and other Divergents, she must uncover the secret behind what it is that makes them so dangerous.

Divergent also stars Kate Winslet, Theo James, Ray Stevenson, Mekhi Phifer, Maggie Q, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Ben Lamb, Christian Madsen and Amy Newbold, and is expected to open March 21, 2014.  Hit the jump to read the full press release.

Three new faces are set to join the cast of Neil Burger’s adaptation of author Veronica Roth’s popular YA novel, Divergent, starring Shailene Woodley (The Descendants).  The latest additions include Ben Lloyd-Hughes (Great Expectations) as Will, Ben Lamb (The White Queen) as Edward and Christian Madsen (Refuge from the Storm) as Al.  The story takes place in a dystopian future where people are divided into factions based on their personalities.  Tris Prior (Woodley) doesn’t fit neatly into any category and, as a Divergent, is subject to destruction.

Divergent also stars Theo James, Kate Winslet, Jai Courtney, Zoë Kravitz, Ansel Elgort and Maggie Q and will open March 21, 2014.  Hit the jump for the full press release.

Opening this weekend is director Antoine Fuqua’s White House actioner Olympus Has Fallen.  The film stars Gerard Butler as a disgraced Secret Service agent called back to duty when terrorists take over the White House and capture the President (Aaron Eckhart).  The film also stars Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Ashley Judd, Melissa Leo, Robert Forster, Dylan McDermott, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, and Rick Yune.  If you’ve been waiting for Butler to return to action, you’re going to be very happy watching Olympus Has Fallen.  Not only is the film a hard R for graphic violence, it features Butler kicking ass in some great action set pieces.  Watch some clips here.

A few days ago I landed an exclusive interview with Eckhart here in Los Angeles.   During our wide-ranging conversation, we talked about making Olympus Has Fallen, the great supporting cast, the violence, how he got into acting, Twitter, how he prepares for a role, the way great directors craft a performance, I, Frankenstein and whether he will join the cast of Divergent.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

It’s a casting bonanza for director Neil Burger’s (The Illusionist) anticipated adaptation of the popular YA novel Divergent.  The past couple of days have seen the likes of Jai Courtney (A Good Day to Die Hard), Maggie Q (Nikita), Zoe Kravitz (X-Men: First Class), and Ansel Elgort (Carrie remake) join the film’s cast, and now another slew of actors are signing on.  The story takes place in a futuristic society where people are divided into factions based on their personalities, and Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) has long been set in the lead role of Tris Prior, a young girl who doesn’t fit into any of the pre-assigned groups and faces termination due to her status as a “Divergent.”

Though the film’s plot has drawn similarities to The Hunger Games, the book received a fair amount of praise from critics, and it’s telling that the film has attracted such talent as Woodley and Kate Winslet.  Now some other impressive actors are signing on, including Theo James who has nabbed the highly coveted male lead.  Hit the jump for more.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share this afternoon.  First up, Drive star Oscar Isaac has been set to topline the indie Partisan, per Deadline.  Ariel Kleiman wrote and will direct the film, which is described as “a confronting fable about a vengeful man raising his children to attack the world that wronged him.”  Isaac has been landing a number of high profile roles as of late including William Monahan’s thriller Mojave and the crime drama Memorial Day.  Isaac will next be seen in Joel and Ethan Coen’s folk period pic Inside Llewyn Davis.

Hit the jump for casting news concerning a Good Day to Die Hard star joining the cast of the anticipated novel adaptation Divergent.

The cast is filling out for director Neil Burger’s (Limitless) adaptation of author Veronica Roth’s popular YA novel Divergent.  The Descendants star Shailene Woodley is set as a 16-year-old girl living in a world where society is divided into five factions that represent a particular virtue.  There’s Honesty, Selflessness, Bravery, Peacefulness, and Intelligence.  On a certain day, all 16-year-olds must choose which virtue they want to devote the rest of their life to, after which they undergo a rigorous initiation process for said virtue.

Summit/Lionsgate is planning Divergent as the first in a potential trilogy of films based on the book series (ie: hoping for another Hunger Games-sized hit), and now three more roles have been filled by Maggie Q (Nikita), Zoe Kravitz (X-Men: First Class) and Ansel Elgort (Carrie).  Hit the jump to find out who they play.

Six-time Oscar nominee and Oscar-winner Kate Winslet is negotiating for a role in Divergent, the adaptation of the young adult novel from author Veronica Roth.  Directed by Neil Burger (Limitless), Divergent is a dystopian tale that stars Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) as a sixteen-year-old girl who is forced to compete in a ritual that divides her family and just so happens to fall in love with a frustrating young man along the way. This would mark the first franchise starter for Winslet as Summit is planning a trilogy, but it is still unknown which part she would play.  Divergent is set to open March 21, 2014.  Hit the jump for more.

Back in November, we mentioned that Divergent was rounding up the likes of Jack Reynor (What Richard Did) and Brenton Thwaites (Blue Lagoon: The Awakening) to star opposite Shailene Woodley in the Neil Burger adaptation.  Reynor just landed a lead in Transformers 4, so he’s likely off the table, but newcomers Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class), Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike) and Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) are now vying for the coveted role.  Lionsgate is hoping that the property will be the next Twilight and/or The Hunger Games, which is a reasonable goal seeing as the Divergent novels lift themes from both series.  Hit the jump for more.

In a perfect storm of movie casting for ambitious young acting talent, some major movies that could make (or break) the next rising star are all in a simultaneous casting process. Here’s a look at the latest developments:

• Michael Bay is set to start screen testing actors for leads in Transformers 4, which centers on Mark Wahlberg’s character, his daughter and her boyfriend, a race car driver.
• Divergent, which carries heavy Hunger Games or Twilight-sized franchise hopes, is narrowing its scope for the male lead opposite Shailene Woodley.
• DreamWorks’ Need for Speed adaptation is looking for other racers to fill in the cast alongside leads Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots and possibly Dominic Cooper.

Hit the jump for much more on each picture.