“Insurgent” Gets New Writer

Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman ("A Beautiful Mind") will write a new draft of the script for the second film in the planned franchise, based on author Veronica Roth's young adult novel “Insurgent”says THR.

Brian Duffield penned the previous draft, it isn't known how extensive Goldsman's re-write will be.

Summit Entertainment has confirmed that  Divergent director Neil Burger (“Limitless”) will NOT return to call action on the follow-up. No potential replacement director has been announced yet.

Summit plans to release the films annually with the first one on March 21st 2014 and the second on March 20th 2015. “Insurgent” will begin production this Spring to make that release date. The film adaptation of  the third book in the series, “Allegiant,” is targeting a March 18th 2016 release date.

The action is set in a society divided into five factions that each represent a particular virtue: honesty, selflessness, bravery, peacefulness and intelligence.Once a year, sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. It's then a teenage boy and girl set out to rebel against the system and discover a growing conflict that threatens to unravel this seemingly perfect society.

Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jai Courtney, Ray Stevenson, Zoe Kravitz, Miles Teller, Maggie Q, Tony Goldwyn, Ashley Judd and Kate Winslet star in the first film.

Pouya Shabazian, Lucy Fisher and Douglas Wick will produce while Rachel Shane is executive producing.