Pre-production
In March 2011, Summit Entertainment picked up the rights for Divergent with Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher's production company Red Wagon Entertainment.[12] Neil Burger was announced as the director on August 23, 2012.[13] Evan Daugherty, who co-wrote the screenplay with Vanessa Taylor, said, "I get hung up on the toughness of the movie but of equal importance is the love story between Tris and Four. It's inherently and inextricably linked to Tris's character journey. There will be plenty of sexual tension and chemistry, but it's important that all of that stuff doesn't just feel like it's thrown in, but that it all helps Tris grow as a character."[14]
Daugherty further added, "It's tricky because the book is a very packed read with a lot of big ideas. So, distilling that into a cool, faithful two-hour movie is challenging. Not only do you have to establish five factions, but you have to acknowledge that there's a sixth entity, which is the divergent, and you also have the factionless. So there's a world that really has to be built out for the big screen... the movie is going to do it a little more efficiently."[15] Author Veronica Roth said about script of the film, "Reading a script is a really interesting experience. I'd never read a script before. I was really impressed by how closely it stuck to the general plot line of the book."[16]
Initially, the budget of the film was $40 million but Lionsgate later increased it to $80 million (which finally changed to $85 million) due to the success of The Hunger Games. Analyst Ben Mogil said, "Divergent is more similar to Hunger Games in that the company owns the underlying economics (i.e. production) and the budget (at $80[million]) is more manageable."[17]
Casting
On October 22, 2012, it was announced that Shailene Woodley had landed the lead role of Beatrice "Tris" Prior.[18] Lucas Till, Jack Reynor, Jeremy Irvine, Alex Pettyfer, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Ludwig and Luke Bracey were all considered for the role of Tobias "Four" Eaton.[19][20] On March 15, 2013, it was announced that Theo James had been cast as Four.[21]
Though James was 10 years older than the character when cast, Roth praised his casting: "I was sure within seconds: this was 'Four', no question. Theo is able to capture 'Four's' authority and strength, as well as his depth and sensitivity." She also mentions the chemistry between him and Shailene: "He is a perfect match for Shailene's incredibly strong presence as Tris. I'm thrilled!"[22] The producers said about his casting: "We took our time to find the right actor to fill the role of Four, and Theo is definitely the perfect fit. Veronica has crafted a truly iconic character in Four and we cannot wait to begin production and bring him and this story to life for millions of fans around the world."[21]
On March 11, 2013, it was announced that the roles of Tori, Christina, and Caleb had gone to Maggie Q, Zoë Kravitz, and Ansel Elgort respectively.[23] Ray Stevenson, Jai Courtney and Aaron Eckhart were announced to be in talks to join the cast on March 15, 2013.[24] Stevenson and Courtney joined the cast as Marcus Eaton and Eric.[25] That same day, Miles Teller was cast as Peter.[26] Kate Winslet was announced to be in talks on January 24, 2013.[27] Later, it was confirmed that she would portray Jeanine Matthews.[28]
Talking about playing the negative character for the first time, Winslet said, "I'm no idiot. The idea went through my head that I have never played a baddie before, I was almost kind of surprised." Since Winslet joined filming late, she used that distance from her co-stars to appear aloof on the first day of her shoot. "I wanted to break it and say, 'It's OK, I'm really fun. I promise.' But I thought, just for today, I'd let them think that I am a complete bitch."[29]
Winslet was five months pregnant during the shooting of the film and her pregnancy was concealed using various props. According to Burger, "We had to be very strategic in the way that we shot her. She always had some sort of file or case in her hand that was sort of protecting, you know, her bump."[30] On March 25, 2013, Ben Lamb was cast as Edward, Ben Lloyd-Hughes as Will, and Christian Madsen as Al.[31] In April 2013, Ashley Judd and Tony Goldwyn joined the cast as Natalie and Andrew Prior, Beatrice's parents.[32][33]
Filming
The Ferris wheel scene in Divergent was filmed at Navy Pier.Filming began in Chicago on April 16, 2013, and concluded on July 16, 2013.[34][35][36] Virtually all production photography took place in Chicago; many of the interior locations were filmed at Cinespace Chicago Film Studios.[37] Scenes for the "choosing ceremony" were shot at Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist on East Wacker in downtown Chicago,[38] with outdoor shots taken at Pioneer Court.[39] Filming also took place at the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel; the entire area was treated with dirt and rust to appear more dystopian.[40] Additional scenes were shot at 57th Street and Ellis Avenue near the University of Chicago,[41] at Federal Street where fake L tracks were constructed[42] and at Michigan Avenue.[43] Scenes were also filmed in the University of Chicago's Joe and Rika Mansueto Library.[44]
For the Abnegation sector, the production team constructed the set on Wells Street in downtown Chicago.[45] In late June, filming took place at 1500 S Western Avenue and 600 S. Wells Street, Chicago.[46] In the last schedule, filming moved to the Chicago River and continued at Lake Street Bridge, Wacker Drive and LaSalle Street Bridge.[47] Filming wrapped on July 16, 2013.[48] On January 24, 2014, additional filming began in Los Angeles, finishing two days later, which officially became the last day of shooting.[48]
Post-production
Post-production work began after filming wrapped.[49] On July 18, Summit and Lionsgate issued a joint statement announcing the film would be released in IMAX format: "We're delighted to continue our successful collaboration with IMAX, with whom we have already partnered on the global blockbuster Hunger Games and Twilight Saga franchises, and we're especially pleased that we can introduce our newest young adult franchise, Divergent, to the movie going public in the premium IMAX format that celebrates its status as a special and memorable event."[50]
