Octavia Spencer joins ‘Insurgent’; Zack Snyder teases new Batmobile

The “Divergent” and “Man of Steel” action franchises have new additions to the family.

Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer (“The Help”) has joined the cast of “Insurgent,” the second installment of the dystopian “Divergent” saga based on Veronica Roth’s young-adult book trilogy, and Zack Snyder, director of the upcoming “Man of Steel” sequel tentatively titled “Batman vs. Superman,” teased a new version of the Batmobile on his Twitter account.

Spencer will play Johanna, the leader of the Amity faction in a post-apocalyptic society where people live in groups according to their personality types. “Insurgent,” which is scheduled for release March 20, 2015, also stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Kate Winslet. Robert Schwentke is directing from a script by Brian Duffield and Akiva Goldsman.

The first film in the series, “Divergent,” has grossed $145 million domestically since opening in March, plus $108 million in foreign sales. The third and fourth films in the series, “Allegiant” parts 1 and 2, are slated for release in 2016 and 2017.

Snyder, meanwhile, tweeted a black-and-white photo of a new take on Batman’s souped-up ride, with the vehicle mostly obscured under a tarp. He added the caption, “Could be time to pull the tarp...Tomorrow?”

“Man of Steel” proved a blockbuster hit last summer, grossing $291 million domestically and $377 million more overseas. The highly anticipated sequel, which is set to open May 6, 2016, once again stars Henry Cavill as Superman and adds Ben Affleck as Batman, Israeli actress Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Jesse Eisenberg as the supervillain Lex Luthor.

“Batman vs. Superman” will pave the way for a “Justice League” movie, which Snyder is also set to direct.