Who? Theo James Takes Male Lead In 'Divergent,' Aaron Eckhart, Miles Teller & Ray Stevenson Circling

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by Kevin Jagernauth
March 15, 2013 1:37 PM
6 Comments

While Jeremy Irvine, Lucas Till and Alex Pettyfer were testing for the coveted (?) male lead in "Divergent," and certainly have more name recognition than the eventual winner, it seems their talents didn't quite match what the filmmakers were looking for. Instead, rising Brit actor Theo James has gotten the gig, in what he likely hopes will be a push into the stateside scene.

The actor has had bit parts on Woody Allen's "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger" and "Downton Abbey," appeared in the smash hit "The Inbetweeners Movie" and "Underworld: Awakening," but most vitally, he's got a regular role on the CBS series "Golden Boy." Anyway, he'll be playing Four, in the futuristic story where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities. Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) is warned she is Divergent and will never fit into any one group, and when she discovers a conspiracy to destroy all Divergents, she must find out what makes being Divergent so dangerous before it's too late. Four is Tris' instructor, and one of the leaders of the Dauntless faction.

THR notes that additional folks Aaron Eckhart, Miles Teller and Ray Stevenson "are in the process" of joining the cast that also includes Kate Winslet and Jai Courtney. We didn't read the book, so you'll have to tell us if this casting makes sense. Production begins in April with Neil Burger directing, and the film is slated to try and capture the YA crown on March 21, 2014.

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More: Divergent, Aaron Eckhart, Ray Stevenson, Miles Teller, Theo James

6 Comments

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Sean | April 3, 2013 2:05 PMReply

WTF?!?! These people don't even look close to the people described in the book!! They'll really need to make a good trailer to get me convinced this will turn out good.
Sophie | March 20, 2013 9:34 PMReply

He IS way too old to be Four. Just lost my desire to see the movie now. I can't believe they are actually going to use someone who is almost thirty and looks like it, too!
tasha | March 17, 2013 7:30 PMReply

Aaron Eckhart is likely going to be Tris' father or Marcus. My guess is Kate Winslet is Jeannine and she will rock that role. Zoe Kravitz would be Christina. Miles could possibly be Uriah, Zeke, Peter, Will, or any of the many guys. He would have made a good Four/Tobias. I heard Jai was going to be Eric which makes perfect sense.
Kim | March 16, 2013 1:28 AMReply

Wait who is Jai Courtney playing then? I could see him playing one of the jerk Dauntless guys. Or the guy that is top of his class and gets eyed.
Marvin3O | March 20, 2013 3:22 AM

Jai will be playing Eric.

I don't see Miles as Uriah, as Uriah is supposed to be black and big; Probably for Will. Kate will be excellent for Jeanine... first villain for Kate???
Allison Barbieri | March 15, 2013 1:53 PMReply

Oh dear! He's handsome but WAY too old! They couldn't find someone in their early 20s?? He looks nothing like Four is described. Then again, Shailene isn't a very good representation of Tris Pryor. So, I guess it will come down to how they portray the characters....