YIBADA

'Divergent: Ascendant' update: Why Shailene Woodley won't return for TV finale

| Feb 14, 2017 11:29 AM EST

Actress Shailene Woodley attends the premiere of HBO's 'Big Little Lies' at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 7, 2017 in Hollywood, California.

Viewers of the "Divergent" trilogy will miss a familiar face when the sci-fi action film returns to the small screen for the special finale. Shailene Woodley has confirmed that she will not reprise her role as Beatrice "Tris" Prior in the planned TV event to cap off the saga.

In July 2016, it was announced that the fourth and final film in the series would be released as a TV movie instead of a theatrical one. The move comes after "Allegiant" received mainly negative reviews and has only earned $179 million worldwide, becoming the lowest-grossing "Divergent" film.

Finally, Woodley broke her silence and succinctly confirmed her departure in the franchise. While she had respect for the studio and everyone involved, the American actress reiterated that she did not sign up to for a television show.

"No," Woodley told Vanity Fair at the premiere of her new HBO mini-series, "Big Little Lies," at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater. "I'm not going to be on the television show."

With Woodley dropping out of the franchise, her co-stars are also considering the same move. Theo James and Miles Teller, who respectively played Tobias Eaton and Peter Hayes, have also expressed their disappointment with the sudden end of the franchise on the TV screen. The two previously made it clear that they are not interested in reprising their roles in the planned TV finale.

Nonetheless, fans can still watch Woodley as Jane Chapman in HBO's mini-series "Big Little Lies." The upcoming seven-episode comedy series follows Woodley, Nicole Kidman, and Reese Witherspoon as three mothers whose children all attend the same kindergarten in Monterey, California.

"It was so fun," Woodley told Access Hollywood when asked about what it was like to play a mom in the HBO drama. "I can't wait to have children of my own. It was like a practice round."

"Big Little Lies" premieres on Feb. 19 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on HBO. Check it out below:

Related News

Most Popular

EDITOR'S PICK