Paramount greenlights Red Rising movie with Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence
A movie adaptation of the sci-fi book series "Red Rising" is officially moving forward at Paramount. According to Variety, the studio has picked up the rights to Pierce Brown's popular novels, with "Hunger Games" director Francis Lawrence attached to helm the project.
Justin Rhodes, who previously worked with Lawrence on an unproduced "BioShock" adaptation, will write the script based on the 2014 first novel. Lawrence will produce alongside Cameron MacConomy for About.Blank, with Francesco Goedhuis also producing. Author Pierce Brown will serve as an executive producer, per TheWrap.
The story is set in a colonized solar system governed by a brutal, color-coded caste system. As reported by Variety, the impoverished Reds are enslaved miners on Mars, while the physically superior Golds rule. The plot follows a Red miner named Darrow who, after suffering a personal tragedy, is surgically transformed to infiltrate the Gold ruling class and spark a rebellion.
Francis Lawrence is deeply familiar with young adult novel adaptations, having directed all the "Hunger Games" films, including the upcoming prequel "Sunrise on the Reaping." The "Red Rising" book series currently spans six novels, with a seventh and final installment, "Red God," on the way.
