“What makes you different, makes you dangerous,” declares the official first look at 2014’s
Stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James were on hand at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards Pre-Show to debut exclusive footage from the action thriller.
Based on the best-selling novel by Veronica Roth, the story takes place in a near-future Chicago in which society has been divided into five factions, each guided by a different virtue. There’s Abnegation (selflessness), Erudite (intelligence), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peacefulness) and Candor (honesty). Each citizen is tested in their teens to determine which faction they fit in. When Abnegation-born Beatrice Prior (Woodley) receives a Divergent result (meaning she doesn’t fit into any faction), she’s warned of the danger her “kind” pose. She decides to leave her friends and family and take up with the daring Dauntless, renaming herself Tris and gaining a mentor in trainer Four (James).
Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet takes center stage in the sneak peek’s opening scene, as her Erudite leader character Jeanine Matthews explains to a room full of teens: “The future belongs to those who know where they belong.” From there, we meet Beatrice, who’s told during her testing that she doesn’t fit in, can’t be controlled and needs to keep it a secret. “And what if they already know?” she asks. “Then you’re already dead,” test administrator Tori (Maggie Q) warns.
Next we meet initiate Tris, who’s learning the ropes of her would-be faction — jumping from tall buildings, battling rival Peter (Miles Teller) and facing down hurtling knives. Only one man — mentor Four — knows her secret and promises to teach and protect her. With a smooch or two along the way.
“I just went at it hard, to be honest, because I thought that’s how she wanted it,” James told MTV’s Josh Horowitz during VMA All Access of his kiss with Woodley. “I thought to assuage any awkwardness I would just go for it. She was kind of batting away my hands. It was kind of nice because we had Miles as Peter literally in the background as we were kissing. He was making hissing noises which actually added to the sexuality.”
“Divergent” hits theaters March 21, 2014.
The MTV Video Music Awards air live from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center at 9 p.m. ET.
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