Miles Teller, who portrays Peter in the film based on Veronica Roth's book series may not return for the rumored "Divergent" TV spinoff. Lionsgate has declined to confirm it yet, but expressed that the management is positive of a possible TV movie, which could be getting a huge fan base.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Teller said that like his "The Spectacular Now" co-star Shailene Woodley, he was caught unaware of the possible "Divergent" TV spinoff labeled as "Ascendant." When asked if he will be returning if the dystopian franchise's finale will be happening on the television, he stated that he is unsure about it.
"It caught us all by surprise," Teller told the publication at the "War Dogs" premiere on Aug.3, Wednesday. "We all signed on for it in hopes that it'd be released in theaters, and we all had every intention of finishing [the franchise]."
Despite his dismay about the rumored "Divergent" TV spinoff, Teller still has high regards for the franchise. He boasted that he has good words for everyone that he had worked with in the previous films.
The news about the probable fate of the franchise came after its third film "The Divergent Series: Allegiant" failed to impress the moviegoers domestically and internationally. The movie only garnered $66 million locally and $179 million worldwide ticket sales compared to its speculated budget of $110 million. Lionsgate reportedly withdrew the plan for a theatrical release in 2017 for a TV series.
Lionsgate will be negotiating with 12 networks next week. Aside from interested buyers, Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs believes that there is a tremendous fandom for "Divergent" TV spinoff.
"This is an example of what we call the virtuous cycle of content bouncing back and forth from TV and film," Deadline quoted Beggs as saying. "The economic upside on a long-term series franchise is very substantial."
The "Divergent" TV spinoff news concurred with Lionsgate $4.4 billion deal with premier cabler Starz. CEO Jon Feltheimer regarded the collaboration as the biggest acquisition in its history with a plan to spend nearly $1 billion a year on new TV series.
Lionsgate has not released any details yet about the TV spinoff. It is also uncertain whether Woodley will be coming back if ever the TV movie will be confirmed.
Watch how Teller reacted about the "Divergent" TV spin-off: