"The Divergent Series: Ascendant" was recently downgraded from being a movie that will be shown in theaters to a show that will be released on TV.
According to multiple sources, one of the biggest concerns raised by Lionsgate had to do with the fact that the third installment in the "Divergent" franchise didn't do well in terms of revenue.
When "Divergent" and "Insurgent" were released, both films became box office hits. However, when "Allegiant" was released a few months ago, the movie didn't fare as well.
According to Design N Trend, other than the fact that the film didn't fare well in terms of revenue, there are still several other reasons why the producers decided to not release "Ascendant" in the theaters anymore.
First, Shailene Woodley and Theo James' chemistry may already be questionable among the onscreen couple's fans. In the first two films, it was obvious that they connected really well with each other. However, the same things cannot be said during their third movie.
Second, Woodley's Tris was killed off and fans obviously didn't like the fact that the lead character dies when the entire franchise is still ongoing. Previously, fans urged book author Veronica Roth to release an alternate ending that's different from the one that she wrote in the book.
However, Roth refused by saying that she believes staying true to the story that she penned is necessary for Woodley's character's development.
Third, there are also some ongoing rumors that Woodley and James are already contemplating on tying the knot with their respective partners. This might be one of the many other things that turned fans off when it came to their chemistry and onscreen relationship.
Fourth, both actors are also not very active users of social media so fans don't necessarily have the opportunity to connect with them online. It's possible that fans decided to not stay loyal to the couple because there is no way for them to actually know more about the two.
"The Divergent Series: Ascendant" was supposed to be released in 2017. However, the TV spinoff's release date hasn't been confirmed.