Hypable was live at the Divergent panel at San Diego Comic-Con, which featured star panelists and brand new footage from the film. Check out our complete panel report right here!
Today’s Divergent panel at San Diego Comic-Con was greeted with enormous (and loud!) enthusiasm by fans of the young adult trilogy. Moderator Chris Hardwick introduced author Veronica Roth, director Neil Burger, “the mysterious and charming” Theo James, and protagonist Tris, Shaileen Woodley.
Burger introduced the world of Divergent, taking place a hundred-odd years in the future (Burger and Roth have different ideas about the futuristic setting, he noted), and Roth discussed the factions. Both emphasized the permanence of Tris’s choice to move from Abnegation to Dauntless.
Shooting concluded on Tuesday morning, but a clip had been prepared
Roth revealed the Allegiant, the third book in the series, would be told from two perspectives.
Woodley spoke about not considering Tris a superhero, but rather a normal girl who found the bravery to help others and herself. (“There’s so many of you!” she exclaimed at the audience.)
“Four is old school… which makes him more masculine,” James said, and added that he admired Four’s willingness to admit his fears.
The supporting cast of the film was then introduced – Ansel Elgort, Zoe Kravitz, Ben Lamb, Ben-Lloyd-Hughes, Miles Teller, Mekhi Phifer and Maggie Q (Tori). Hardwick asked Phifer and Maggie Q what it was like to be the “old hands” on the set. Maggie Q spoke about the range of talent on the set, while Phifer admired the exuberance and professionalism of the young cast.
Elgort (Caleb) called working on the film “The best experience of my life,” and said he looked forward to working in the sequels. He also dropped a hint at working with Kate Winslet, who will play the Erudite leader, Jeanine. Other Dauntless initiates talked about gun training and bonding.
Zoe Kravitz’s favorite scene was the 45 minutes of “controlled environment crowd surfing” involved in specific Dauntless scene, one that Woodley also considered one of her best moments. Woodley mentioned, in response to a question, how excited she was to see the scene where Christina was hung across a cavern. Burger discussed the logistics of filming his cast jumping on and off of the actual L tracks in Chicago.
“We worked our asses off to make something really special,” James added. “I think everyone will really enjoy it.”
Veronica Roth expressed her excitement at seeing small details on the set, like syringes in the testing room and the tank in which Tris fears drowning.
When the cast was asked about their similarities to their characters, Phifer discussed being brave due to his Harlem upbringing. Elgort talked about his similar height to Caleb’s, and James, his protectiveness of Woodley. Woodley echoed Maggie Q’s admiration of true Dauntless values, and Kravitz, Christina’s candor. Lloyd-Hughes talked about standing up for his friends, Ben Lamb about Edward’s studiousness in fighting; Christian Madsen joked that being similar to Al would require a therapy session, but found a deep connection to Al’s quiet nature. Amy Newbold discussed enjoying to fight; Miles Teller talked about brushing his teeth in the shower along with Peter.
You can also check out our liveblog of the Divergent panel, and our detailed report of the new footage shown at Comic-Con.