Entertainment

Is 'Chaos Walking' The Next 'Divergent'?

by Allie Gemmill

As a massive fan of both The Hunger Games and Divergent franchises, I've been jonesing for a worthy replacement in my life because hello, both series' are amazing. With the former franchise complete and the latter waiting to release its final installment, there's a major hole the needs to be filled in the world of YA dystopian drama. That's where Chaos Walking and one Daisy Ridley come in. It was announced late Monday by The Hollywood Reporter that Daisy Ridley will star in Choas Walking alongside Spider-Man: Homecoming's Tom Holland in an adaptation of the hit YA series. From the description of Chaos Walking, this news should come as a serious delight for those fans who are clamoring for more Divergent-like drama at their local cineplex.

Comprised of a series of books and short stories, the plot of Chaos Walking is described thus by Collider: "Todd Hewitt, who’s living in a world where all women have been killed by a germ and those who remain can hear and see into each other’s thoughts through what’s called Noise, a chaotic stream of sounds and images. When he discovers an awful secret about his town, he flees with his dog, Manchee, and encounters a strange girl on the road." Basically, Chaos Walking is set to serve us some post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, dystopian realness and I'm here for it.

While the film may be told through the perspective of Holland's character, there is no doubt in my mind that Chaos Walking will be very concerned with the way women center into its narrative. As such, Ridley will be necessary in making this two-hander thrive, which I think we can all agree that she is more than capable of doing with aplomb. I couldn't imagine a better person to tell the fraught story of than the woman who stole our hearts in The Force Awakens, Ridley herself.

Chaos Walking already sounds like it is primed for its own franchise, further cementing this as the likely successor to the Hunger Games/Divergent mantle. With its description of a broken down society, a young romance on the horizon, and a very human story of perseverance through unlikely circumstances, Chaos Walking is definitely going to keep fans of those other massive teen dystopian franchises very happy. Even better it that it will be led by two stars on the rise with the chops to back it up. I mean, who doesn't want more YA dystopian goodness — or Daisy Ridley — in their lives?

Image: Giphy