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'Divergent'-to-TV Report Is News to Shailene Woodley

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Shailene Woodley on the ‘Snowden’ panel at San Diego Comic-Con

Surprising word hit yesterday that Ascendant, the final chapter in Lionsgate’s young adult-driven Divergent series, would be heading to TV screens instead of movie theaters after the franchise’s last installment, March’s Allegiant, had a weak performance at the box office. According to Variety, it was “unclear” whether or not star Shailene Woodley, who headlines the saga as the young heroine Tris, would return in the TV version.

But when Yahoo Movies talked to Woodley on Thursday at San Diego Comic-Con, where she was on the panel for the upcoming biopic Snowden, the actress said she was in the dark about the studio’s decision.

“I honestly don't… that article, I got off the plane and I read that and I called my reps and I was like, ‘What is this?’ and they were like, 'We’re figuring that out,’” Woodley, 24, told us. “We don’t have any information. I think that came as a surprise to everybody. So I don’t actually know how much truth is that article or not.”

Woodley acknowledged there would be plenty of nervous Divergent fans following the developments at home, but she wouldn’t get into specifics on what factors might influence her decision to return to the role in a TV movie. “The factors would be, I need to know the details, in which case I know no details,” she said.

Variety reported that in addition to the made-for-TV Ascendant, Lionsgate’s television group would also launch a subsequent spin-off series. Ascendant had originally been scheduled to go into production this summer in Atlanta and open in theaters in June 2017.

In Snowden, Woodley plays Lindsay Mills, the longtime girlfriend of controversial NSA leaker Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Woodley was joined by Gordon-Levitt, director Oliver Stone, and costar Zachary Quinto at a Hall H panel for the film this morning before it debuts at a special screening in San Diego tonight.

Snowden hits theaters Sept. 16.

Watch the video of Woodley below: