Paramount Pictures has acquired the film rights to Red Rising, Pierce Brown's bestselling dystopian sci-fi series, with Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence attached to direct an adaptation of the first novel. Quite interestingly, Brown and Lawrence's backstory goes back considerably further than this week's announcement might suggest, and as it turns out, a Game of Thrones writer had actually let the Lawrence connection slip as far back as 2019.
Red Rising was first published in January 2014 and follows Darrow, a Red—the lowest caste in a color-coded society set on Mars. Darrow works below the surface of the planet, believing he and his people are making it livable for future generations, only to discover that everything he has been told is a lie. Humanity reached the surface long ago.
After suffering a devastating personal loss and learning the truth about his existence, he is recruited by rebels and infiltrates the ruling Gold class to bring their society down from within. The series has drawn comparisons to The Hunger Games and Ender's Game since its first release, and has six novels published so far with a seventh on the way.
Francis Lawrence was linked to direct a Red Rising adaptation as far back as 2019
Most coverage has framed Francis Lawrence as an obvious pick given the long-standing Hunger Games comparisons to Red Rising. But a Reddit user named Alaxel_Au_Arryn dug up an interesting detail: back in June 2019, Game of Thrones writer Dave Hill mentioned on the podcast "Films to be Buried With" that he was already working on a Red Rising adaptation for Francis Lawrence to direct, suggesting this partnership goes back much further than people realize.
"I'm also adapting the sci fi book Red Rising by author Pierce Brown, for Francis Lawrence to direct. And we're going to be trying to take that out and make it as our own show," Hill said in episode 45 of the podcast.
It was included by user RedJamie in their detailed breakdown post of the full adaptation history in the subreddit and is worth reading for anyone who wants the complete picture.
Pierce Brown reportedly asked fans not to spread the leak at the time. The writer on the project has since changed, but Lawrence having been part of the conversation that far back tells you he has been trying to make this film for the better part of a decade.
It is also worth noting a detail in the production setup. Lawrence's production company "about:blank" holds a first-look deal with Lionsgate. RedJamie pointed out that this almost certainly means Lionsgate passed on the project before Paramount picked it up.
Francis Lawrence's directorial credits include Constantine, I Am Legend and four Hunger Games films, with a fifth, Sunrise on the Reaping, opening in theatres on November 20. Catching Fire is widely regarded as the strongest entry in the Hunger Games franchise and Lawrence directed it. He also has the Bioshock adaptation in development at Netflix, with a screenplay by Justin Rhodes, who is now also writing Red Rising. The two clearly have a working relationship they are comfortable continuing.
Brown confirmed he has been working on Red Rising adaptation with Francis Lawrence for years
During a recent October 17 Waterstones event in Birmingham, Brown himself confirmed that he has been working with the creative team and Lawrence in particular for a very long, long time.
"I’m very fortunate to be working with a director who I’ve been attempting to create the right set of circumstances with to develop a film for Red Rising for many, many years," he said.
Brown also shared that Lawrence is a self-proclaimed Howler: "I like him as a person. He is a dyed-in-the-wool Howler. He calls himself a Howler. And I’m very, very honored to work with his team and his producers, who are also on speed dial, some of my good, good friends."
The Hunger Games comparisons to Red Rising are something Brown has generally tried to move away from in how he talks about the series given the books go to very different places as they progress.
A film with Lawrence's name attached is going to make that comparison a harder one to manage in the marketing, and there is a reasonable concern in the fan community that leaning into it too heavily could create expectations the later films in a potential series would struggle to meet. That is a real consideration, though it is one Paramount will be thinking about well down the line.
Brown is credited as executive producer on the film, which gives him a seat at the table. His years of involvement in the television development process, where he was personally drafting scripts, suggest he came into these negotiations knowing what he was asking for.
No cast has been announced and no production timeline has been set. Justin Rhodes still has to write the screenplay and the project is in early development. But after a failed Universal deal, years of television pitching, and it now turning out that Francis Lawrence has had his eye on this since at least 2019, the Red Rising adaptation is finally moving forward.
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