Francis Lawrence Will Direct Paramount’s ‘Red Rising’ Movie

Paramount is moving ahead with a film adaptation of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising, with The Hunger Games filmmaker Francis Lawrence attached to direct. The studio has acquired movie rights to Brown’s bestselling science-fiction series and is starting with the 2014 novel that introduced Darrow and its color-coded society.

A dystopian specialist takes on Mars

Justin Rhodes is set to write the screenplay. He previously worked with Lawrence on a planned BioShock adaptation, while Lawrence and Cameron MacConomy will produce through their about:blank banner. Francesco Goedhuis is also producing, and Brown will serve as an executive producer.

The story unfolds in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system and organized society into rigid castes identified by colors. Darrow belongs to the Reds, laborers who mine beneath Mars while believing their sacrifice will prepare the planet for later generations. After discovering that the surface was settled long ago, he enters the world of the ruling Golds as part of a rebellion.

That material places Lawrence on familiar ground. He has directed multiple installments of The Hunger Games franchise, including its dystopian conflicts, large ensembles and survival-driven spectacles. His involvement gives Paramount an experienced franchise filmmaker as the studio tries to translate Brown’s expansive setting into a first feature.

The project is still at an early stage

No cast, production start or release date has been announced. The current package establishes the studio, director, screenwriter and producers, but leaves the film’s schedule and its version of Darrow’s world open.

Six novels in the saga have been published, with another planned, creating substantial franchise potential if the first movie connects with audiences. The property has traveled through earlier development efforts, including a period at Universal and later discussion of a television approach. Paramount’s acquisition resets the adaptation as a theatrical movie with Brown directly involved behind the scenes.