Francis Lawrence is in negotiations to direct a feature adaptation of "Red Rising" for Paramount Pictures, according to sources familiar with the project. The studio has been developing the property as a potential franchise starter, and landing Lawrence would mark a significant step forward for a film that has spent years in various stages of development. No release date has been set, and Paramount declined to comment on the talks.
Lawrence is no stranger to large-scale genre filmmaking. He directed three of the four "Hunger Games" sequels - "Catching Fire," "Mockingjay Part 1" and "Mockingjay Part 2" - after Gary Ross departed the franchise, and he later helmed "I Am Legend" with Will Smith and "Constantine" with Keanu Reeves. More recently he directed "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," which returned the series to theaters in 2023. His involvement would signal that Paramount intends to treat the adaptation as a tentpole rather than a modest genre exercise.
The source material, Pierce Brown's debut novel, was published in 2014 and became a word-of-mouth phenomenon before spawning a six-book series. Set in a rigidly stratified future society, the story follows a young man from the lowest caste who infiltrates the ruling class after a devastating personal loss. The book's blend of class warfare, military academy intrigue and full-scale rebellion has drawn comparisons to everything from "Ender's Game" to "The Count of Monte Cristo," and its passionate readership has long pressed for a screen version.
Paramount acquired the rights in 2023 after the project spent time at Universal, where it had been set up with a different creative team. Brown himself has been closely involved in the development process, and the studio has been searching for a director who could handle both the intimate character work and the large-scale action sequences the story demands.
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Photo: TMDb
A Long Road to the Screen
Attempts to adapt "Red Rising" date back nearly a decade. Universal originally optioned the book in 2014, with Marc Forster attached to direct at one point. That version never materialized, and the rights eventually lapsed. The property's revival at Paramount reflects both the enduring popularity of the novels and the industry's continued appetite for young-adult science fiction with franchise potential.
Brown's series now includes six main installments, with the most recent published in 2023. That depth of source material gives Paramount plenty of runway if the first film performs, though executives are likely to approach the property cautiously given the mixed track record of YA adaptations over the past decade. For every "Hunger Games" there has been a "Divergent" or a "Maze Runner" that failed to sustain a full series.
Lawrence's track record with "The Hunger Games" makes him an obvious candidate for this kind of material. He is known for maintaining visual coherence across sequels while keeping budgets in check, a skill that has become increasingly valuable as studios look to manage spending on franchise hopefuls.
What the Story Involves
For readers unfamiliar with the novel, "Red Rising" is set centuries in the future, after humanity has colonized the solar system. Society is divided into color-coded castes, with Reds at the bottom performing dangerous manual labor and Golds at the top wielding political and military power. The protagonist, Darrow, is a Red who learns that the system he has been raised to accept is built on a lie. He is recruited by a resistance movement and surgically transformed into a Gold so he can infiltrate their ranks from within.
The novel's second act unfolds largely at a brutal institute where young Golds compete in a simulated war. That section has been cited by fans as both the most cinematic and the most difficult to translate to film, requiring a large ensemble of young performers and extended action set pieces.
Casting will be a major question. The story demands a lead actor capable of carrying a franchise, supported by a deep bench of young co-stars. Paramount is expected to begin casting once a director is formally locked.
What Comes Next
If the deal closes, Lawrence would work with Brown and the studio to refine the screenplay before production begins. No timeline has been announced. Paramount has not indicated whether it envisions a single film or a multi-picture commitment, though the studio's interest in the property has always been franchise-oriented.
For now, the project remains in active development. Lawrence's attachment, if confirmed, would represent the most concrete progress the adaptation has seen since Paramount picked up the rights. Fans of the books have waited more than ten years for a film version, and the studio appears to be moving deliberately rather than rushing a property with this much built-in expectation.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
