We were invited to the set of Divergent , the next dystopian future moving-picture show for teens . We project the dismal future Chicago , and pick up how theater director Neil Burger would bring this beloved book to life . Here ’s everything we see on the Divergent solidifying .
For the non - diverging buff , this world ( make by novelist Veronica Roth ) is kind of confusing . So rather of indite a unornamented set report , we ’re break it down a slight bit . Yes there are spoiler — but nothing too major .
The Factions
foresighted tale short — all stripling in next Chicago are give an aptitude test and beam off to live in one of these faction , forever . And after the fabulous Choosing Ceremony ( above ) the younglings are then shipped off to become the serious cabal phallus they can ( or get kicked out ) — whether it ’s learning how to be a nurse in Abnegation or a warrior in Dauntless . Here ’s the breakdown of each group just so we ’re all on the same page .
Abnegation – The Selfless . Wear grey , live in short grizzly cube homes ( pictured above ) . The main character Beatrice Prior ( Shailene Woodley ) and her kinsfolk are from here . Beatrice is the audience ’s POV . In her aptitude test Beatrice find out that she ’s actually a DIVERGENT and ca n’t be placed . Which is very , very bad . She ’s tell to hide this fact about herself . So she does , and select to be a member of Dauntless , and to change her name to Tris . From here on out I will be referring to her as Tris .
I actually develop to see inside Tris ’ kinsperson home in Abnegation . Not surprisingly , it was very simple — think Ikea Malm line , but everything in white-hot . Very little window , not a circumstances of colour , cement wall ( just like on the exterior ) and rice and bean plant for dinner . Bland town .
Dauntless — The Brave . The Dauntless put on contraband , gray and killer black moon thrill for kicking citizenry in their faces . They ’re A-one into tattoos . They get to places by spring off a modified commuter wagon train that NEVER break . They have to stand out off of it , because they are badassess , and ostensibly that is what badasses do . They are the warrior epinephrine junkies who care to meet with knives . A muckle of them get horrifically scared by their fellow audacious fellow member .
And it ’s in this faction where the meat of the pic takes place . Watching Tris go through her toilsome Dauntless breeding school . Jumping off buildings and bewilder knives and being submitted to fear landscape ( where your psyche is messed with , to unwrap your inmost care ) . Obviously , much large things are bump in the background — but the heart of the chronicle is mostly with Tris in Dauntless create new friends and falling in love with Four , the leader .
cordiality — The Peaceful . Donning a people of color tout ensemble of cerise , orange and yellow the Amity mathematical group are the peacekeeper of the nation . They dislike war , and those who do rebellions .
candour — The Honest . According to the costume designer , Carlo Poggioli , this group was the hardest to dress because the book only described what they wore as black and white . So he put them all in really spruce white suits with black pipe , and frailty versa . They all look like a ska band of attorney , it was great . Kind of honest to a geological fault — the member of Candor take knavery very seriously . Tris ’ Quaker Christina ( Zoë Kravitz , also pictured above ) was formerly of the Candor clan before join Dauntless .
learned — The Intelligent . The thinkers ! Lots and lots of cobalt blue ensembles , research laboratory coat . and slews of rubber . Kate Winslet plays the loss leader of this clan , Jeanine Matthews , because she so very smarty smart voguish . A clever accumulation of kinfolk , the Erudites are not to be trusted , and should be feared if you ’re Divergent .
Factionless — Not reveal until subsequently in the movie . They are the unwanted and unwelcome . They wear off a mountain of seethe wool .
Chicago IN THE FUTURE
Possibly the biggest takeaway I left from the Divergent set was the importance of tincture the city of Chicago into each shot . Everyone stress that linking this future city to the real - life Chicago was imperative , because the book wove just about every conniption into various function of the Windy City .
In fact the above - pictured Abnegation village was erected in good order in plain muckle ( something movie set are usually loathe to do , for fear of spoilers ) so they could get the Hancock Building in the screen background in just about every take . And it really help add a feeling of place to this totally bonkers setting of future Chicago , where everyone dresses in color code . It was a good branch between the wild leaps the generator took while make this population .
And this love for the practical United States of Chicago was share throughout the set . When take everyone what their favorite prospect or set was the answer was almost nemine contradicente the Navy Pier night hunt . In which a couple of Dauntless members scale the giant ferris wheel and Navy Pier . But for make the place take care rundown and erstwhile , the visual FX folks created rusty decals that they place all over the site . Then they climbed all over that beef , for literal .
Hell , the opening shot of the intact picture show is a elephantine stab of the now - destroyed city . Surrounded by a giant marsh and a MASSIVE metallic element fence . The last book in the Divergent serial publication just overlook this week , and it should have an explanation behind the inscrutable fencing around Chicago . But as of right now , I still do n’t know why it ’s there , what it ’s keep in or out , and what happened to lead to this weirdie new world .
And the last “ Hey that ’s Chicago ! ” moment ( that got me really excited ) was the shift of the city ’s L train . The elevated train ( that already exist in Chicago ) was extended powerful down Michigan Avenue . This is the antecedently advert Dauntless drop off . rather of stopping at various stops the train mavin by and the member of Dauntless jump off ( a move that is supposed to consistently examine their bravery and strength ) .
regrettably for some fearless members , a few of the stops leap are very perfidious and if you remember the ledger , one little Dauntless warrior does n’t make the jump . Sadly for theatre director Neil Burger that was one of the scene that had to be cut . He explained why on set :
Neil Burger : I think the volume is really straight to the essence of the book and the reference and the action .. There ’s one moment in the offset of the book — I do n’t know if i should talk about it but oh well … In the beginning , when they first join Dauntless and they jump from the train to the ledge , and a Dauntless have a bun in the oven fall off . And she become flat . I conceive her name is Rita , and Rita ’s sister is very upset . What I love about that is that it ’s very early on , and it write out the kind of excitation about the whole thing and brings in a dose of reality . Oh wow this is life and destruction , shit just got literal . And I roll in the hay that about the book . But although it is YA and it is about young people and it ’s all exciting , there ’s a substantial life and dying element to it . There ’s eminent stake , and we do n’t have that in the beginning of the motion-picture show but there ’s actual high stakes . Which is the crucial matter . We convey it in a dissimilar means , although we do n’t have someone literally dying .
What You’re Going To See
Not everything is all ruined Chicago . A great deal of the movie takes place in the world that Roth create all on her own .
belike the most telling of all the sets , the white-hot marble looking quarry houses wild intrepid party , spar matches and all sorts of scenes . The only way to get around inside the pit is by a rickety ladder or by climb . Just about everyone on hardening was cover in blanched rubble from the fossa . Which gave it a routine of cred . The Pit is also the home ( on set ) to the Dauntless Chasm . A scary crack that fall into darkness and void and ( presumptively ) your end if dropped down there . Many Dauntless penis are dangled above this serious cranny .
Other set we stole a few glimpses at on set , or thanks to some concept art let in the Erudite Campus ( which is a giant glass dome much more elaborate and rarefied than the other factions ) , Hall of Choosing , Dauntless HQ , a futuristic tattoo sitting room , and the Factionless Dorms ( which appear to be hidden / surrounded by numb trees ) .
The All Important Love Interest
in all probability the most important part of the movie ( besides establishing the wondrously complicated world that Roth created ) is the interpersonal chemistry between Four ( Theo James ) and Tris . Thank goodness , one of their very first flirty scenes was the moment I become to witness .
Inside the Pit there was a celebration , and Four was drunk . He spy Tris walk into the Pit ( also ready to celebrate because she kicked ass before during training ) and just drops a big fatty tissue “ I like you ” bomb on her . Four calls over Tris and calls her brave . “ You think I ’m brave ? ” she asks with giant self depreciating deer oculus of disbelief . Four quickly comeback . “ I think you ’re beautiful . ” AWKWARD . He continues , “ There ’s beauty in strength . ”
The language was blistering . And both actors have that lead lineament . But I was almost lease aback by how not Twilight this was . There was no “ rent ’s gaze at each other with our mouths agape love breathe each others air because we are THAT INTO IT . ”
When we spoke with the yoke they concurred that they ’re not that form of couple . And also confirmed that the much sports fan - loved tattoo back reveal scene will dead be in the plastic film .
Theo James : That ’s an important scene for us as well .
Shailene Woodley : It ’s a turning percentage point .
Theo James : The great thing about their relationship from the beginning is that they ’re not all of a sudden in sexual love . patently they kind of are , but they have this irritable affair because he ’s trying to maintain some variety of authority . And she ’s discovering herself . They ’re back and away . They ’re always kind of together . The sexual love is very emphatic , but at the same metre there are all these other things drop dead on . Which I think is much more interesting . But the key scene [ the tattoo describe aspect ] that is in the script .
Shailene Woodley : For me that ’s what I was draw in to . One of the main aspect of Divergent is their human relationship . It ’s not one of the dramatic teen relationships where it ’s love at first website , and she ’s faint over him . And then he ’s there with her , but he withdraw , and she has to furrow him . There ’s no drama . It ’s very veridical and very personal and very naturalistic to how real relationship are . It ’s very different from the Bella and Edward relationship . They are on completely polar side of the spectrum .
That said , I do n’t really bonk what the end result interpersonal chemistry will be like . It was hard to tell from this early scene , and Four is so blunt and so rough . Perhaps when he starts catch vulnerable there will be more of a salary - off . They ’re certainly suggest that this is the type .
Side annotation : Theo James was the Turkish diplomat from Downton Abbey who devolve down on Lady Mary in her bedroom . Just in case you were trying to place that look .
And for now , that ’s all we have to say about the sojourn . We also interviewed a long ton of the very wily side characters ( whom we enjoyed very much ) . We ’ll have more for you from the set nigher to the release date .
Full revealing : io9 ’s travel and lodging expense were pay for by the Studio .
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