Paramount Pictures has officially greenlit a feature film adaptation of Pierce Brown’s best-selling dystopian sci-fi series, Red Rising. The announcement, confirmed on October 16, 2026, marks a significant turning point for the property, which has spent years in development across various studios and formats.
Francis Lawrence, the director behind the majority of The Hunger Games franchise, has signed on to direct the project. He is joined by screenwriter Justin Rhodes, who is currently collaborating with Lawrence on the BioShock film and previously worked on Terminator: Dark Fate. Author Pierce Brown will serve as an executive producer, a role intended to safeguard the specific tone and world-building of the source material.
Protecting the ‘Soul’ of the Series
The move to Paramount follows a decade of fluctuating development efforts. Brown has been vocal about his commitment to a faithful adaptation, previously noting that a film attempt at Universal Pictures failed because the studio proposed creative changes he could not support. By taking on a producer role with this new iteration, Brown aims to “protect the soul of the series,” ensuring the core themes of class warfare and Martian rebellion remain intact.
Brown reacted to the news on social media by referencing the military tactics of his fictional universe, stating, “Let fall the iron rain. Bloodydamn, I love this team.” The quote has been widely shared by the series’ fanbase as a signal of his confidence in the current creative direction.
Transition from TV to Film
The Paramount deal also clarifies the fate of the Red Rising television project that had been rumored since 2021. In March 2026, Brown confirmed that the television adaptation was “officially dead,” describing the project as a “corpse” that had stalled in development limbo. The shift back to a feature film format suggests a preference for a high-budget, cinematic approach to the scale of the Martian landscape.
While the first book in the series introduces Darrow, a low-caste “Red” who infiltrates the elite “Gold” society to dismantle a solar system-wide hierarchy, Paramount has not yet confirmed if the film will cover the entirety of the first novel or if they intend to launch a multi-film franchise immediately. Given Lawrence’s experience with long-form storytelling in The Hunger Games, the attachment of a high-profile director suggests the studio views the project as a major tentpole release.
Production timelines have not been established, as Lawrence is currently balanced between several high-profile sci-fi projects. However, the official greenlight from Paramount indicates that the project is no longer in a theoretical stage, moving instead into active pre-production under the author’s direct supervision.
