Here's one I didn't expect to be writing about on a Saturday. On Friday, Oct. 16, Deadline reported that Paramount has acquired the film rights to Pierce Brown's Red Rising series and tapped Francis Lawrence, the director behind five Hunger Games movies, to direct an adaptation of the first book. According to Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter was first with the news.
If you've never read the books, this might sound like one more "studio buys a bestseller" headline. If you have, I'd guess it felt closer to a jolt. Red Rising is the kind of series people press into your hands and say "just trust me." Dark Horizons and Yahoo both note it has sold more than 6 million copies, and Hollywood has circled it before without landing.
Here's how I'm going to handle this. I'll give you everything that's actually been reported, say plainly what hasn't, and then tell you what I think. Anything marked "My take" is my opinion. The rest comes from the reporting linked at the bottom.
The Key Points
- Paramount acquired the film rights to the Red Rising series. Francis Lawrence is set to direct an adaptation of the first novel, and Justin Rhodes is writing the script.
- Pierce Brown is an executive producer. No cast, release date or production start has been announced.
- Six Red Rising novels are published and a seventh, Red God, is planned as the finale, with no official release date.
- My take: the team is the part I'm least worried about. The hard part is letting the first book work as its own movie instead of a trailer for a franchise.
Who is making the Red Rising movie? The full deal sheet
Deadline's report on Oct. 16 lays out the package. I put it in one place so you don't have to piece it together from five articles.
One detail I like: Dark Horizons says Rhodes and Lawrence worked together developing the long-gestating BioShock adaptation at Netflix. So this isn't a blind date. These two have already been through a long-gestating adaptation together, and that counts for something.
Brown's involvement matters to me too. Some authors step away once the rights are sold. An executive producer credit doesn't guarantee influence, but it's better than a thank-you in the end credits.
02 · The ScorecardWhat has Paramount confirmed about Red Rising, and what's still blank?
This is the section I wish more articles included. It's easy for headlines to sound bigger than the facts. Here's the line between what's on the record and what isn't.
- Paramount holds the film rights to the series.
- Francis Lawrence is attached to direct.
- Justin Rhodes is writing the script.
- It adapts the first novel, Red Rising.
- Pierce Brown is an executive producer.
- Cast, including who plays Darrow.
- A release date.
- A production start. One outlet notes it's in development and hasn't started production.
- A rating. I didn't find one reported.
- Whether sequels are planned. Deadline's report covers the first installment.
I'm keeping that right-hand column honest on purpose. When a deal like this breaks, the internet fills the gaps with fan casts and made-up release windows within hours. None of that is reporting, and I'm not going to guess a date just because people are searching for one.
03 · The PrimerWhat is Red Rising about? A spoiler-free explainer
Red Rising is set on Mars, in a future where society is divided into a color-coded class system. According to Dark Horizons, the Golds sit at the top. At the bottom are the Reds, people who exist to do hard labor. The story follows Darrow, a young Red miner. After he watches the person he loves die and learns the truth about his existence, he infiltrates Gold society with the goal of tearing it down from the inside. Dark Horizons describes the mix as Roman mythology meets science fiction.
That's the setup, and I'm going to stay out of the plot past it. Brown published the book in 2014, and it's the first in a series that has since grown to six novels.
My take: the pitch is the best thing about it. Most revolution stories start with a hero who's on the right side and has to be convinced to fight. This one starts with a hero who has to become one of the people he hates in order to beat them. That's a strong movie hook, and a solid foundation for a first film.
04 · The ShelfRed Rising books in order: what to read first
If you're searching for the reading order, the short answer from Books of Brilliance is publication order, starting with Red Rising. Here it is as a checklist.
- Red Rising2014 · Book 1 · The one the movie adapts
- Golden Son2015 · Book 2
- Morning Star2016 · Book 3 · Ends the original trilogy
- Iron Gold2018 · Book 4 · Starts the sequel series, set 10 years later
- Dark Age2019 · Book 5
- Light Bringer2023 · Book 6
- Red GodBook 7 · Planned finale · No official release date
- Sons of AresOptional · Prequel graphic novels by Brown and Rik Hoskin
Brown announced Red God in July 2022. As of September 2026, Books of Brilliance reports that neither Brown nor publisher Del Rey has announced a publication date.
My take: don't let the number seven scare you. The first trilogy is complete, and Book 1 is a fine place to stop if you only want the story the movie will tell.
05 · The BackstoryHas anyone tried to make Red Rising a movie before?
Yes, and it didn't go far. Men's Journal reports that Universal explored a film adaptation back in 2014 after obtaining the rights, but the project never got far into development. The series was also planned as a streaming show, and that fell through in the early stages too.
My take: this is why the first report matters. The earlier attempts come across as "explored the possibility." This time the first story already names a studio, a director, a writer and a producing team. That's not a guarantee of a movie, and nothing in the reporting says otherwise, but it's a more concrete start.
06 · The DirectorWhy Francis Lawrence is the right and the risky choice
Lawrence directed five Hunger Games films, including The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which opens Nov. 20. Deadline notes he's coming off the Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk for Lionsgate and has a deal with the same studio on Carry Me to My Grave, a horror novel adaptation. Nerdist also lists Constantine and I Am Legend on his résumé.
CBR puts the appeal plainly: he's made movies about young people trying to overthrow an unjust caste-based society, and Red Rising has a similar premise. Nerdist goes a step further and says Paramount is likely hoping Red Rising becomes a big-screen franchise in the same wheelhouse as Hunger Games.
That's what makes him the right choice and the risky one at the same time. Here's how I see it.
- He's spent five films in a world built around a rigid class system and the fight against it.
- He's coming off The Long Walk, a grim Stephen King adaptation, so tone isn't new to him.
- He's already worked with Rhodes on a hard adaptation.
- Any shot, color or beat that makes people say "this is just Hunger Games on Mars."
- Over-explaining the caste system. The best version trusts the audience.
- Saving the real story for a sequel nobody has ordered.
One more note, since I know how this goes online: sharing a director doesn't mean sharing a story. The two series are separate, and the only connection in this case is the person in the chair.
Lawrence's next release is covered in my Sunrise on the Reaping guide.
07 · My Risk RankingMy Red Rising risk ranking: six things that decide whether it works
This is my own ranking, built from what's been reported and what I know about how adaptations go wrong. It's an opinion, so treat it that way. I ordered it from the biggest risk down.
- 1. Let Book One be its own movieHigh risk
A first movie has to feel finished on its own. Deadline's report covers the first installment only, which is the right place to start. My worry is a studio that spends the whole movie setting up sequels nobody has ordered.
- 2. Cast DarrowHigh risk
Nobody has been announced. Darrow has to be believable as a miner and then believable as someone pretending to be a Gold. That's a hard double role, and in my view the movie lives or dies on it.
- 3. Make Mars feel lived-inMedium risk
A Mars set that looks like every other sci-fi world would waste the best part of the setting. The mines at the bottom and the Gold world at the top need to feel like they belong to different planets, even though they share one.
- 4. Step out of the Hunger Games shadowMedium risk
The comparison is already in the headlines, and the director shares it. It's fair to notice the overlap, but the movie has to have its own look and its own tone, or the comparison becomes the whole review.
- 5. Decide the tone on purposeMedium risk
No rating has been reported. This year Godzilla is getting its first R rating, which I covered in my Godzilla Minus Zero guide. I'm not predicting a rating here. I'm saying the choice should be deliberate and not a guess at what sells.
- 6. The team behind itLow risk
A director who knows the genre, a writer he's already worked with and the author on board. Of everything on this list, this is the part I'd bet on.
Cautiously excited. I'd put my confidence at 7 out of 10 for now. The team earns most of that. What holds it back is that I haven't seen a cast or a script.
Should you read Red Rising before the movie? My advice by type of reader
You'll see this question everywhere, so here's my answer, split by who you are.
If you love going in blind
Read Book 1. There's no release date, so you have time, and you get to meet the story on the page first. Stop there if that's all you want.
If you only watch movies
You lose nothing by waiting. Nothing has been dated, and the movie adapts a single book. The reading order above will still be here whenever you want it.
If you're already a fan
Watch for what the first report doesn't say: cast, tone and how much of the book makes the cut. Those three will tell you more than any rumor.
Red Rising movie questions, answered fast
Is there a Red Rising movie?
Yes, in development. Deadline reported on Oct. 16, 2026 that Paramount acquired the film rights to Pierce Brown's Red Rising series and that Francis Lawrence will direct an adaptation of the first book. It has not started production.
Who is directing the Red Rising movie?
Francis Lawrence, who directed five Hunger Games films, including The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, out Nov. 20, 2026, according to Deadline.
Who is writing the Red Rising movie?
Justin Rhodes, whose credits include Terminator: Dark Fate and the Prime Video series Secret Level, according to Deadline.
When is the Red Rising movie coming out?
No release date has been announced. The outlets I read also report no cast and no production start.
Who is playing Darrow in the Red Rising movie?
Nobody has been announced. Casting has not been reported.
Which Red Rising book will the movie adapt?
The first one, titled Red Rising, which Pierce Brown published in 2014, according to Deadline and CBR.
How many Red Rising books are there?
Six novels are published and a seventh, Red God, is planned as the conclusion. As of September 2026, Brown and publisher Del Rey had not announced an official release date for Red God, according to Books of Brilliance.
What order should I read the Red Rising books in?
Publication order: Red Rising (2014), Golden Son (2015), Morning Star (2016), Iron Gold (2018), Dark Age (2019) and Light Bringer (2023), with Red God to come.
Has anyone tried to adapt Red Rising before?
Men's Journal reports Universal explored a film around 2014 after obtaining the rights, and a streaming series was also planned. Neither got far.
Is Red Rising the same as The Hunger Games?
No. Lawrence directs Hunger Games films, and CBR frames both as stories of young people pushing back on an unjust caste system, but Red Rising is a separate story set on Mars.
Where I land
I came into this weekend not expecting a Red Rising headline, and I'm glad I got one. What I like most is how quiet the details are: a director who knows the territory, a writer he's worked with before, an author who's still involved. What I don't know yet is everything that decides whether it works, which is the cast and the script.
So I'm staying excited and staying careful, which is how I'd suggest everyone treat any adaptation of a book they love. If you've been waiting a decade for this one, enjoy the news. Then go read, or reread, the first chapter.
