A decade-long wait is officially over for sci-fi book fans. Paramount Pictures has sent shockwaves through Hollywood by officially securing the live-action film rights to Pierce Brown’s New York Times bestselling book series, Red Rising.
The project lands with massive cinematic prestige attached. Specifically, acclaimed filmmaker Francis Lawrence is officially locked in to direct the sprawling adaptation. Lawrence previously helmed four blockbusters within The Hunger Games franchise. Therefore, fans are confident he can handle the high-intensity action and political themes of the sci-fi epic.
Francis Lawrence
Inside the Color-Coded Universe
Originally, the story is set deep in a futuristic, heavily stratified society on Mars. Humanity is strictly divided into a color-coded caste system. The wealthy and physically superior Golds rule the solar system with an iron fist.
Meanwhile, the impoverished Reds work as slave labor deep within the mines of Mars. They toil tirelessly under the false belief that they are preparing the surface for future colonization. However, a young Red miner named Darrow uncovers a massive betrayal. He discovers that the planet was actually terraformed generations ago by their masters.
A Deadly Infiltration Plot
As a result of losing his true love to the regime, Darrow joins a dangerous underground rebellion. He undergoes a brutal, agonizing medical transformation to completely change his identity. He alters his DNA to look like a gold-eyed elite.
Notably, Darrow infiltrates the highest rungs of Gold society. He enrolls in a brutal, cutthroat elite military academy where young adults are forced to fight each other for dominance. The script promises a high-stakes blend of ancient Roman mythology and futuristic planetary warfare as Darrow attempts to tear down the hierarchy from the inside.
