Veronica Roth is best known as the author of “Divergent,” the best-selling YA book series that spawned the Shailene Woodley-led franchise. The dystopian saga centers on a teen who rises up against her oppressive society. Vulture reports that the writer’s next project will tackle a more intimate story. Roth is currently collaborating on a Fox 2000 adaptation of her short story “Inertia,” a portrait of Claire, a young woman dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy. Her best friend, Matt, is in critical condition following a car accident. But there’s a twist. “New technology allows them to say good-bye,” the source writes.
“It feels more contemporary than the other things I have done,” Roth told Vulture. “There is one piece of futuristic technology where you can enter the mind of someone who is dying to say good-bye, but other than that it is just a teenage friendship and love story. To me, seeing a quieter story, with just this touch of sci-fi, would be really beautiful.”
Roth, who has spoken candidly about her own struggles with anxiety, hopes to raise questions about mental health and creativity within “Inertia.” “Talking about mental illness is a huge component of this story because it is about how someone with mental illness creates art,” she explained. “Do they require depression to make something or is it better to be treated and to become a healthier person? Does that result in better art?”
“I think people have this idea of the artist as this depressed and ailing person,” Roth observed. “But to me, in my life, anxiety has been an impediment to my creativity. So this myth of the tortured artist I think is something that we really need to dismantle.”
The “Divergent” trilogy has sold more than 32 million copies. The fate of the film franchise is uncertain. The first three films grossed more than $765 million combined, but disappointing box office numbers for the most recent installment, last year’s “The Divergent Series: Allegiant,” led to discussions of a potential TV release for the fourth and final film. Woodley has said that she won’t appear in a small screen version of the story.
