Some major casting news for the upcoming film adaption of Veronica Roth’s Divergent was announced this week. If you are a Divergent fan you are probably scratching your head right now..
I know some are thinking, “What does this have to do with TMI?” Well, it was not too long ago that we were all getting our casting news and had some questions as to the decisions that had been made.
By this point most of us have accepted what cannot be changed and have embraced our cast and await August 23rd with baited breath. ( some of us have even scheduled a vacation day!! 
)
Anywho, I would like to start a discussion to hear your thoughts on why Hollywood has been snapping up YA Series for movies, but then casting the teens with 30 year olds? I just find it hard to believe that no one in Young Hollywood possesses the ability to play these parts.
Take the above for instance, Tris and Four are a couple…he looks like he should be dating Kate! Granted, she still looks youthful at 37, but I have a hard time picturing him as 18. And I only say this because I have seen him lately on advertisements for Golden Boy and I thought he was in his mid 30′s from that.
Beautiful Creatures cast I felt was a little off as well..and I am not sure if that had anything to do with the fact that according to Box Office Mojo it has yet to make it’s money back to break even. I still have to go by the way, but I doubt my $10 will help.
My question to anyone who would like to join the conversation is, do you think Hollywood is getting it wrong and is it costing them at the box office? I have no doubt the actors being cast have the ability to play the roles, but will it be convincing when the fans who have read the books and know the age ranges they are supposed to be and can’t get passed the obvious difference?
For thos of you who haven’t read Divergent the two main charatcers are 16 and 18 so yes he should look older…just not that much older!
So please, humor me and comment. I know we have fans with very strong views. I would just like to know what you think.
Will the age variances hurt Divergent? Do we feel TMI has made some curious choices? Did the casting of Beautiful Creatures hurt the movie, or was it just not a strong story?
Let us know in the comments.
i’m actually curious to read the digernt series! and okay, shailene,s 21, it’s only a 5 year age difference.
I feel that, even though most fans were disappointed with some of the Harry Potter films, there was still this great love for it. I felt 1, 2, and 3 were pretty good, even with missing scenes from the books, which of course is impossible to squeeze into a 2 hour film. 4, and 5 were the ones that were the huge disappointment for me. 4 was clearly rushed, and lacking of the emotional stress that Harry went through during that book. He had a lot of weight on his shoulders, not many people were on his side while he was in the tournament, because people thought he might have penetrated the spell that blocked the younger students from entering their names in the Goblet. Not even Ron was on his side. And A LOT of detail that brought you to the conclusion that you NEVER expected. The tiniest micro details in the beginning, like Winky steeling Harry’s wand, and noticing Barty Crouch Sr. at the Championships. Most people I know were frustrated with reading the beginning of that book because it was moving in a very slow pace. I was also having trouble with it. None of us expected how serious those beginning chapters were. And THAT’S why I love Rowling so much, her writing is pure bliss, it flows like a gentle river. I don’t mean to sound all lame with metaphors. lol, but that’s how it is.
The actors, and the crew of the films became such tight notch with each other. They created an incredible emotional bond with their characters. JK Rowling was INLOVE with her books. She cried when she realized it was over, because she said, and I quote “I can’t go there anymore…” meaning, she couldn’t visit this beautiful world inside her head anymore. That was my reaction, I felt like I couldn’t visit Hogsmeade anymore, or Hogwarts, or Diagon Ally. I thought that if I just reread the book it would be like visiting it all over again… no… I was just visiting a memory that had come to past. It wasn’t still… happening… I feel that Stephanie Meyer, and maybe even CC tried to replicate that same feeling. I think a lot of new authors wanted that same experience with their own writings, and their own books. Which I can understand greatly. It is a beautiful, and incredibly blissful feeling. But I am sorry, but it’ll never be replicated. Maybe if you did it in your own way, but not “Her” way.
The fan base for Harry Potter was far larger than Twilight, TMI, or THG. It wasn’t just a fad… in fact it wasn’t a fad at all. It was a large community of people who fell deeply in love with these characters, we grew up with them, fought with them, cried with them, and laughed with them. I have yet to read anything with any equal or more amount of that same beautiful connection I had with her and her characters. Other production companies saw this wonderful reaction and saw $$$$$$$ so they thought they could repeat it, and get $$$$$$$$$ They were lucky with Twilight, but after that… it went down hill from there. Nothing was ever going to be as big of an impact as that… not forced, at least. I believe it could happen again, sure. But talent, and love is NEVER forced. It is impossible. One day something else we love that much will come, but it will come when it’s ready….
(In response to Scrottie)
I actually do love TMI greatly, however you are right. Harry Potter has a certain spot in my heart that no one can replace. My tears during the last book was not just because of the deaths of certain characters. It was because with each page I turned the end was near. There was a few times when I stopped and thought, “What if I just stopped reading? What if I put the book down right now, and not pick it up for a long time?” Then I realized that no matter what, the end was still near. Rowling would no longer be writing anything about Harry, Hagrid, or Fred and George. It’s already over, even if I don’t read it.
So I finished.
With TMI, my love connection is with the characters, and probably if I am going to be honest, MAINLY the characters. I love Jace the most because he is so real. I have met people just like him, I grew up in a life where I was betrayed the most by adults. I relate to him very well. My mother was my only trustworthy person in my entire life. And my mother knows EXACTLY what it’s like to be Jace. It’s like reading my mother in male form. He loves literature, can recite poems to a T, he’s musical, an amazing writer, witty, sarcastic, incredibly intelligent. He is the male equivalent of my mother. I also know what it’s like to feel to be Jace, I have been somewhat in his shoes. Not to the same extreme, but somewhat. I love Jace, I will cry if she kills him off, I will be devastated more than any other character.
However, this will not be a series that I beg and pray to never end. I can’t even watch any of the HP films without feeling extremely sad, and somewhat depressed that it’s now officially over. I know exactly what you mean by feeling like you cannot go back. I think I relate to HP that way, because my fondest memories are also incredibly painful because “I can’t go there anymore…” And that part of my life was REAL. So I relate HP to that time in my life when I was really happy, that particular time in my life I have lost. I agree with you, after the success of Harry Potter, everyone thought they could do the same thing. I know what you are trying to say…
Not everything is numbers and statistics… some things are from the heart…
You’re right! There hasn’t been anything new that I love as nearly as much as Harry potter. Nothing that will compare to the amazing feeling I get from it. Nothing can compare, and that’s also another reason why the others fail… they’re trying to force love, and talent, and it just… doesn’t work that way….
I see where Josh is coming from. It’s been an issue for a while with production companies on many levels. The advertisement plays a HUGE part JUST like Hero said. Harry Potter was a huge disappointment for fans, but they marketed those movies SO well that the thoughts of the fandom didn’t matter. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, and ALL the actors of those films did a MAGNIFICENT job, but the stories in the films themselves weren’t that great. I feel that the very end of the series with movie 7 (part 1 and 2) was done very well, because the story was well told. the audience related to the characters. We laughed and we cried very hard. I didn’t feel any connection with the characters very much in the other films. NOT because they were bad actors, but because the films didn’t deliver in other areas. The actors cannot do all the work on their own. I came out of the theater after seeing Harry Potter 7 Part 2 in tears, because it was over, and due to the loss of beloved characters. I cried while reading from book 3 down the line, I did not cry while watching the films until Movie 7 P2.
Lord Of The Rings was well done, because the story was well told, when the ring was finally destroyed, and the camera gets a close-up on Gandalf’s face, watching the tower of the Eye fall, and crumble, and you see that single tear fall from his eyes… suddenly you are there… with them, fighting in battle. Watching the tower crumble to the ground, the orcs began to flee, and the darkness in the sky clears… suddenly you fall to your knees and you say to yourself “Thank God, it’s finally over. We have won.” Then suddenly you realize… oh sh*t I am in a movie theater, not a battle ground hehehehe… lol
That’s when the Director/producer/Actors/Editors or ANYONE involved in making a film realize they have successfully done their job. When the audience forgets what’s beyond the theater walls. Harry Potter lacked this when Dumbledore died, it lacked that sort of movie-magic until the very end when they FINALLY perfected it. But the reason Harry Potter kept going was because they spent A LOT of money on the advertisement, they made sure the movie was well known throughout the world. Let alone the Books were STILL going, keeping the Fandom alive WHILE the film was in theaters.
You know that saying, “in order to make money, you have to spend money.”? Well, yeah.. lol
Twilight was terrible. not because they were or weren’t true to the book, but as a FILM as a MOVIE it was just bad, and yet it was successful. Because as much as I want to be a filmmaker for Artful reasons, I know I will have no choice but to deal with the business of it as well. And the Hollywood industry is no different from any other big corporation “SELL, SELL, SELL, SELL” it’s like that with anything. The Notebook… I know some people may disagree with me, but that movie was awful. I am sorry, but the editing was bad, the plot was bad, and the screenplay was just… I am sorry, but it was successful because of all the media hype as well.
FINALLY one last thing I want to touch base on. You know why the media is the main source for successful mainstream films? Television is designed to Mind Control you. Every single company has their own Psychologist or Psychiatrist… or maybe both… who tell them HOW to TRICK their viewers into putting money into their pockets. Commercials, trailers, reality TV.. they are psychologically designed to make you think whatever THEY WANT you to think. So if something is bad, you might think it’s good anyways despite all the obvious reasons why it’s bad. Twilight, The Notebook, even Harry potter. The media hype is all BS, it is only there to mind control you. I know I sound like a conspiracy freak, but seriously I am not being a freak, I am NOT making this up. I swear to God this is true. I actually only recently learned this… now I know why I think differently from a lot of people. I seriously rarely ever watch TV. I have been spoiled by Netflix that I seriously cannot handle commercials. So when I do watch TV, although rarely, I will turn the TV to Mute when the commercials come on, or turn it off, change the channel, or something. I seriously will NOT acknowledge commercials, hardly ever.. and when I do… I can see past the lies in them much easier than most can, because I rarely ever see it. So remember that… Just like there is no truth in film, the same goes for Television it is there to control you. Hence why some films fail in box office, because they aren’t using the media to “trick” you into spending money on it…. all companies do something very similar to this…. Okay, I am done. Sorry for the length of this post LOL
Everyone is bringing up great reasons. I feel that Production Studios lately have been “Spoon Feeding” the Audience, like they think we’re too stupid to get certain things in a plot line. Thanks… thanks so much for having so much faith in us…. Like Abduction… I am 100% serious when I say this about this movie…. I am very greatly insulted by it. Did they think that we wouldn’t notice that Taylor Lautner looks Hispanic, when his parents look white… but of course…. his character isn’t adopted. I seriously felt they thought we were all stupid enough to fall for that sh*t. Harry Potter 4… I remember reading that book, and feeling like I needed to be sent to a mental hospital. I reread the last few chapters a few times before I finally realized that what I was reading was real, and not in my head. Then I saw the movie, and they give away the ending before the audience can even settle into the plot. What? It’s not like films have never had a surprise ending before. Sixth Sense, Saw (te first one), A Beautiful Mind, etc etc etc. There are hundreds of films with very exciting, VERY surprising twists, whether they were in the actual ending, somewhere NEAR the end. But… they spoon fed the audience with Harry Potter, like they couldn’t get it. Thanks… thanks again for reminding America that we’re not the smartest country. You make us feel so good about that! We may not be the smartest, but we’re certainly not the most stupid either. It’s greatly insulting….
I think Beautiful Creatures failed for two reasons: One, because it was marketed terribly. Maybe my marketing expectations have become higher because THG had such incredible marketing. From day one, it began building the hype up so that when March 23rd rolled around, it had become one of the must see movies of the year. The movie itself was nothing spectacular, but as I learn in college, marketing can make people see God in the devil. But, with beautiful creatures, there was hype but they didn’t build on it. A month before the movie and no one apart from the YA audience knew what it was. Two, it wasn’t true to the book. Fans , once the movie gas come out, are the main source of marketing and fans will only spread the word if the movie was faithful. As much as Twilight sucked, it gave the fans what they wanted by staying close to the book. I hope TMI can learn from BC’s mistakes
Very interesting post and questions.
Studios want to make lots of money. Harry potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games made lots of money therefore the studios want their own YA movies that will make them lots of money. Lionsgate/Summit even stated in a recent shareholder’s meeting that the YA adaptation market is going to be a main focus for them from now on.
I don’t think casting is the main problem so much as Hollywood picking the wrong properties and then not marketing them well. Hollywood are assuming that just because a YA book is relatively popular with a fanbase they can replicate the success of Harry Potter, Twilight, THG at the box office. As much as I loathe Twilight it was a phenomenon and had penetrated mainstream culture (same with HP and THG) even before the movies. The same cannot be said of the majority of YA books that are getting film adaptations. Another problem is that the YA market is massively over-saturated now with so many authors trying to cash in. The YA adaptation market is going to have the same problem soon with the number of books that are being bought up.
All these movies employ older actors over teenage actors due to economics. It’s much cheaper and easier to film with adults than younger actors. Adults can work longer hours and can work more unsociable hours like night shoots (the hours minors can work are restricted), fewer breaks, more experienced, don’t have to provide tutors on set, less paperwork and legislation, can perform more dangerous shots, don’t have to have a parent or guardian on set.
I haven’t read either Divergent or Beautiful Creatures so looking at them from the view of a general member of the public I think that Beautiful Creatures failed due to weak marketing as they very obviously tried to market it as Twilight with witches, a core fanbase that was not rabid or big enough and general apathy from the general public who thought it looked crap or like a Twilight rip-off.
As for Divergent the synopsis I have read of the books/movie make it sound idiotic so I have zero interest in it. But if they market it well-and I think it will benefit from the fact that there is apparently an action element to the story-and if the promo materials look interesting to the general public then it could be successful. The success of the movie is down to the general public as the core fanbase is only responsible for a limited amount of the box office.
I don’t know if it is possible as I haven’t read it but maybe they will change character ages in Divergent (they have aged the characters up slightly in TMI according to the producers which is OK as their ages are pretty irrelevant in the books anyway). Even though the Divergent male lead looks much older than the female lead I don’t think that will be an issue to most people as our sexist society has conditioned people that it’s OK to see an older man with a younger woman but not vice versa.
I do have some questions marks about some TMI casting but everyone’s cast now and the movie’s finished filming so it seems pretty pointless. I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see how it does when it is released.
I will say that I think TMI made some missteps with marketing initially-although the marketing has improved over the last few months-like revealing many of the actors on Cassandra Clare’s tumblr page (I understand it was to placate the core fans but it was a silly move from a marketing perspective) and I am worried about the release date as the weekend Sony have chosen is one of the weakest weekends of the year to release anything which shows a lack of faith. And on a personal preference note I’m not too keen on the current official poster. I much prefer the internet motion poster with the rune. It’s prettier
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I think one lesson that all the upcoming YA adaptations have learnt is to not sell their movie as the next Twilight as the majority of people are just glad that Twilight is over and have even less interest in seeing what they perceive to be a movie trying to cash in Twilight! They will all need to sell the movie on its own merits.
OK…I think I have written enough!
Thanks Hero that was awesome. I was so hoping someone would weigh in on it! And I think your response was even longer than the post which I was afraid was a little lengthy in the first place.
Very well said, Hero. Studios, I feel, sometimes lose touch with the general Audience. I remember when Twilight was the only thing most people would talk about. Even if the film (or books) were ever going to benefit my interest in any way, the way people talked about it nonstop destroyed that for me. And that was when I was about 21 years old. And now that time has passed, I haven’t heard a single positive comment about Twilight in… I don’t even know how long. The only positive remarks I get are from my 13-year-old cousin… go figure. lol. Not to degrade her or anything, she’s a smart kid, just saying she’s not the one spending the money to see the movie
Studios, I think, tend to not realize how “long winded” things may become for certain films. Even Harry Potter. It’s an excellent piece of literature. Do NOT get me wrong!! I put JK Rowling on the same shelf as Thoreau, Dickens, and Steinbeck. But even Harry Potter slowly started to lose its hype because it ran for so long. I am 100% glad they went through with it, because it’s just one of those things where… once it’s started…. at least finish it. But all of these films start to overstay their welcome after some time. Harry Potter, Twilight, Saw, Spider Man… etc etc etc. Especially since all these films were done back-to-back. At least with the X-Men films, they are VERY spaced apart. And I don’t care what anyone says about Spider Man, coming from someone who used to read all the Marvel Comic books, and LOVES superhero stories, I wasn’t 100% a Spider Man fan when I was younger, I was a Batman, and Xmen fan. But seriously… we JUST did a Spider Man movie…. they couldn’t have waited at least a couple of more years before another one? That’s why so many people had a bad taste in their mouth with it, because we already had one about 4 years prior. I had no interest, because I was already sick of the first trilogy. Sorry. It’s hard to get interested in something, that seems to be overdone. Hence, why it fails. I agree with you 100% Hero.
Oh, and one more thing, I ALSO think Beautiful Creatures failed, because the core fanbase was NOT at all happy. I have heard nothing but negative reactions towards it. I think these studios would sell better, if they focused more on ART, and less of a profit. Of course we all know productions studios main goal is profit. Duh! lol
but what I am saying is… maybe stop focusing on “Ideals” and more on “Reality” i.e. The main character isn’t always a barbie, or a football jock. I don’t expect Oscar worthy styles, but I at least want Art. Take The Paperboy with Zac Efron, I think one of the reasons why it got lower reviews from the critics is because Efron was in it. Seriously! They expected a cute film, because a young stud from Disney was in it. WRONG! Just because a Ex-Disney Star is in it, don’t mean he won’t drop the F-Bomb or that the film won’t be incredibly violent and morbid. “More violent then good” They said. I actually thought it was a good film, i understand it’s flaws, but it was all in all a good film. I get reality, I get that the REAL world has some scary @ss disgusting things in it, and for some reason the critics hated the “Realism” of the movie. Why? There are have millions of films just like it that they rated high on…. because Efron was in it. And personally is acting was GREAT in it. I have a whole new respect for him now….
i love the beautiful creatures movie and I loved it and read the book and want to read the rest of the series but even I was confused at times when I saw the movie. okay in the book, lena doesn’t erease ethan’s memory of her. also, there was supposed to be oo radley the dog1 my friend DAvid also enjoyed the movie and when he asked me, I told him I was just surprised. there were some signifgant factors in the books that was different. but it didn’t too bad when it came out, but it couldve been marketed better. i do think alice engerlet who played lena would be an amazing tessa though!