Paramount Pictures is officially developing a feature film adaptation of Pierce Brown’s bestselling science fiction novel Red Rising. The studio has tapped Francis Lawrence to direct the project, with Justin Rhodes signed on to pen the screenplay.
The project brings Brown’s popular dystopian book series to the big screen. This follows years of various Hollywood iterations, including an abandoned television adaptation attempt. Published in 2014, the original novel introduces a futuristic society on Mars. In this world, human social status is rigidly determined by a color-coded caste system.
The Creative Team Behind the Adaptation
Francis Lawrence brings extensive dystopian experience to the production. He directed five films in The Hunger Games franchise, including The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, scheduled for release in November. His recent directing credits also include Lionsgate’s feature adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk. Previously, Lawrence collaborated with writer Justin Rhodes on an unproduced adaptation of the BioShock video game series.
Rhodes, who is writing the Red Rising screenplay, previously co-wrote Terminator: Dark Fate. He also contributed to the Amazon Prime Video animated anthology series Secret Level.
Production will be handled by Lawrence and Cameron MacConomy through their about.blank banner, alongside Francesco Goedhuis. Author Pierce Brown is attached to serve as an executive producer on the film.
Plot and Franchise Background
Red Rising centers on Darrow, a “Red” miner belonging to the lowest tier of Martian society. Working underground, Darrow and his fellow laborers believe they are sacrificing their lives to make the surface of Mars habitable for future generations. However, Darrow discovers a devastating truth. Humanity colonized the surface generations ago, and his people are enslaved beneath a decadent, ruling class known as the Golds.
Driven by the memory of a lost love and a search for justice, Darrow infiltrates the Institute. This is a brutal proving ground for young members of the Gold caste, where he plans to dismantle the oppressive hierarchy from the inside.
The book series has achieved massive commercial success, selling over six million copies globally across six published installments. These include Golden Son, Morning Star, Iron Gold, Dark Age, and Lightbringer. A seventh and final novel titled Red God is currently in development by Brown.
Paramount’s Growing Literary Slate
The acquisition of Red Rising adds to an expanding roster of high-profile literary adaptations at Paramount Pictures. The studio’s slate features Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone, Gabrielle Zevin’s romance novel adaptation Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library with Florence Pugh attached to star.
Studio executives and representatives for the creative team have not yet announced a target release date or production timeline for Red Rising, as Lawrence finishes commitments to upcoming projects.
