The Help actress Octavia Spencer has joined the Divergent sequel Insurgent to play Johanna.
Spencer is a well known actress, having won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her role in 2011’s The Help as Minny Jackson.
In the book by Veronica Roth, Johanna is the unofficial leader of Amity. The faction prides itself on making decisions together, so she is technically the group’s speaker, not a leader per say. Nonetheless, you can expect her to have a leader-type position in the film adaptation which is penned by Brian Duffield and Akiva Goldsman.
The character has a scar from her eye to her chin which we imagine will make an appearance during Spencer’s portrayal. Johanna also appears in Allegiant.
The actress is the first new person to join the cast of the Divergent franchise as production ramps up this month. Insurgent will see Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet returning for the roles of Tris, Four, and Jeanine respectively.
Insurgent will be directly by Robert Schwentke and is slated for a release in March 2015.
Earlier today we shared comments from Lionsgate’s co-chairmen who said that they have a slightly different marketing plan for Insurgent. “It’s obviously a different story [than Divergent], and we don’t have to start from ground zero, explaining what Divergent is all about. The second film has a lot more action in it, so we’ll take it in a different direction.”