Kate Winslet - Divergent: Kate Winslet Leads Hollywood Charge Into Young Adult Movies

Divergent: Kate Winslet Leads Hollywood Charge Into Young Adult Movies

Kate Winslet is the latest Hollywood A-lister to make the move into the thriving young adult market after signing on for a big screen adaptation of 'Divergent,' the first of a trilogy of dystopian novels by Veronica Roth. Jennifer Lawrence and Philip Seymour Hoffman both star in the forthcoming Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire, while Twilight and The Lovely Bones featured respected actors Michael Sheen and Stanley Tucci.

The young-adult movie market is growing at a serious rate, something that's not gone undetected by Winslet's agent, clearly. The British star will play the cold and calculable Jeanine Matthews in the movie about a society that is divided into five factions that define how a person lives their life. For example, the Abnegation people are selfless, while those residing in the Erudite neighbourhood devote themselves to a lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Winslet will play the leader of the Eruduite, according to studio Summit Entertainment.

It's shaping up to be a pretty impressive cast, with actress of the moment Shailene Woodley, 21, and British star Theo James, 28, already having signed up. The movie is set for release in March 2014.

The young-adult genre - the focus of Charlize Theron's excellent 2009 movie named, err, Young Adult - is becoming a banker for studio's looking to make a few bucks. The five Twilight films have grossed $3.3 billion, while the first Hunger Games movie pulled in $690 million alone. 

'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,' another adaptation of a young adult novel with dystopian themes, will hit cinemas in August 2013.

Kate Winslet Leaving Claridge's Wearing a Jenny Packham Gown