EW TV: Lionsgate exec reveals what Divergent TV series could look like

News that the final installment of the Divergent film series will take an unexpected detour into the realm of television came as a surprise to fans and cast members alike last month, but Lionsgate executives insist the future is still bright for the post-apocalyptic franchise.

EW can confirm that during the studio’s quarterly earnings call Thursday, Lionsgate TV Chairman Kevin Beggs expressed enthusiasm about wrapping up the adaptation of Veronica Roth’s book trilogy on the small screen, while also introducing new characters and stories to keep the franchise going.

As reported by Deadline, Beggs said the company “got excited about the possibility of what the series could look like — resolving the novel in a season across 10 to 13 episodes and then expanding from there into multiple seasons.”

Lionsgate’s original plan had been to adapt Roth’s third book, Allegiant, as two theatrical films, respectively titled Allegiant and Ascendant. But when Allegiant proved to be a critical and commercial misfire earlier this year, Lionsgate reconsidered its intention to release Ascendant on the big screen next summer.

In Beggs’ words, “the performance of the last segment of the theatrical didn’t really create a situation where [Lionsgate] could commit the production resources necessary to really make the production we needed.”

It’s currently unclear whether Divergent stars Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, and Miles Teller will participate in the TV project. Nevertheless, Beggs said the project has generated interest at a dozen or so networks, and he will begin pitching it in the next week.