Paramount Pictures collects yet another literary adaptation. Red Rising, written by Pierce Brown, the first novel in a six-book saga and counting, is a dystopian sci-fi story which spans the solar system. Francis Lawrence, a director with multiple contributions to The Hunger Games film franchise, is set to lead this interplanetary rebellion. Justin Rhodes is writing the script, having also worked with Lawrence on Netflix's adaptation of the action-horror first person shooter game Bioshock.
Pierce Brown's famous series is a fantastic choice to adapt for the big screen. Not to say it's safe, considering its place in the dystopian uprising sci-fi genre, which has had major success in theaters before, but the Red Rising saga has a favored reputation for good writing and fantastic worldbuilding. It's one of those culturally defining sagas that'll be recommended to readers for years to come, and it has a backlog of content to turn into movies without waiting for a conclusion.
Red Rising follows a young man named Darrow, a miner on Mars. There are the elites and favored individuals, and then there are the downtrodden laborers, with little hope of change. What's more, there is a color-based system. Gold Society rules above, and at the very bottom, in the dirt, are the Reds, such as Darrow. However, when his love perishes, he decides he'd had enough and wants to burn it all down.
It may come as a surprise as to why Red Rising, a book packed with lore, and succeeded by several sequels, would be a tightly contained movie instead of a televison series spanning multiple seasons. It's generally thought that books, novels and comics alike, can be adapted better as shows due to the amount of content they offer. But it all depends on direction and how much the team behind the film is willing to sacrifice. However, I think because of Dune's success, with two critically acclaimed and beloved entries directed by Denise Villaneuve, and his third, the trilogy concluding film Dune: Part Three on the way, Paramount might want a sci-fi epic on a desert planet of their own.
It'll be interesting to see how the aesthetic of Red Rising's society translates into a multi-million-dollar production. The sound design and score. The locales and architecture. Hopefully, this project gets the time it needs to craft something truly special for the fans and worthy of Pierce Brown signing off on the film rights to his flagship book series.
There is no confirmed release window for the Red Rising movie yet, but we'll provide updates as they come around!
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