MTV is going Dauntless. In anticipation of the March 21, 2014, release of based on the best-selling novel by Veronica Roth, the network is giving fans their first official look at the action-thriller during Sunday’s Video Music Awards Pre-Show, starting at 8 p.m. We’ll wait right here while you clear your schedule…
Stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James will be on hand to present the exclusive footage, which you definitely don’t want to miss. And for a taste of the goodness to come, be sure to check out a sneak peek video below!
“Divergent” fans no doubt set their DVRs days ago in anticipation of the debut, but if you have yet to hop aboard the train (a reference you’ll soon get!), here’s everything you need to know about the film ahead of Sunday’s VMA Pre-Show.
The World
The events of “Divergent” take place in a near-future Chicago, in which society has been divided into five factions based on different virtues. 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 belong in.
The Heroine
Woodley plays protagonist Beatrice Prior, an Abnegation-raised teen, whose test results come back inconclusive. She’s told that makes her “Divergent,” with little explanation as to how that will affect her future beyond putting her in grave danger. She decides to leave her friends and family in the faction she knows and join up with the daring Dauntless.
“The interesting thing about Tris is — I don’t think she’s a badass,” Woodley explained when MTV News visited the set recently. “She’s not a superhero. She’s not an action star, and I think that there is something really refreshing about bringing a very normal adolescent to life in a way where she has to rise to the occasion and find her brave heart and be really courageous in situations where she doesn’t necessarily want to be.”
The Dauntless
As an initiate, Beatrice decides to completely reinvent herself taking the name “Tris,” as she strives to prove her mettle to the faction she hopes to join. And for Dauntless, that means jumping from tall buildings, kicking butt and hopping from speeding El trains. If she doesn’t succeed, she’ll become factionless — an outcast.
The Love Interest
Tris begins training with the dreamy and enigmatic Four, played by James. If you’ve ever read a YA novel, you can probably guess where this is going… “I say that Theo is kind of a combination of Paul Newman and Bruce Lee,” director Neil Burger said of his male lead during Comic-Con. “He can really fight!”
The Conflict
While tensions mount between Tris and her Dauntless rival Peter, played by Woodley’s “Spectacular Now” co-star Miles Teller, greater forces are working outside the faction, which could upend Tris’ world forever. But you’ll have to watch the film to find out more about that.
The MTV VMA Pre-Show kicks off at 8 p.m. ET with the main show following at 9.
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