Paramount Sets 'Hunger Games' Director Francis Lawrence for 'Red Rising' Film

Paramount Pictures has acquired film rights to Pierce Brown's science-fiction novel "Red Rising" and set Francis Lawrence, who directed all five "Hunger Games" films, to direct an adaptation of the first book, according to Collider, CBR and a Variety report republished by Yahoo Entertainment. The announcement was made on October 16, 2026.

Justin Rhodes, who previously worked with Lawrence on a Netflix "BioShock" project, wrote the screenplay, Collider reported. Lawrence will produce through his banner about.blank alongside Cameron MacConomy and Francesco Goedhuis, with Brown serving as executive producer, according to CBR and Yahoo's report.

What the Book Is About

"Red Rising," published in 2014, is set in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system under a color-coded caste system. The story follows Darrow, a "Red" miner on Mars who is led to believe he is helping terraform the planet for future generations, only to discover his caste has been enslaved by the ruling "Gold" class, according to CBR and Yahoo's report. After a personal tragedy, Darrow is transformed to infiltrate Gold society, where he joins a rebellion aiming to dismantle the hierarchy, Yahoo reported.

A Long Road to the Screen

The new film deal follows more than a decade of stalled adaptation attempts. Collider reported that a feature adaptation was planned at Universal Pictures in the 2010s but fell through before entering production. Winter Is Coming reported that Universal had held the film rights sometime between 2014 and 2016, citing Brown; that version also did not move forward.

Brown then shifted the project to television. Winter Is Coming reported the pivot took place between 2018 and 2021, with interest from a major streamer widely speculated to be Apple TV+ and a rumored budget in the $120–200 million range. That series adaptation never advanced past development. Brown told Winter Is Coming he learned of its cancellation in October 2025 after years without clear answers, describing the stalled project as "a corpse" and saying the studio "couldn't get it to the place where they felt confident." He also said a new partner was "standing by and ready" to pursue a live-action adaptation once the rights became available again, without naming Paramount directly at the time.

Director's Background

Lawrence directed "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," both "Mockingjay" films, "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" (2023) and the upcoming prequel "Sunrise on the Reaping," according to the Yahoo report. He also directed the 2025 Stephen King adaptation "The Long Walk" and is attached to a sequel to "Constantine" starring Keanu Reeves, per Collider.

The Wider Series

"Red Rising" launched a trilogy completed by "Golden Son" (2015) and "Morning Star" (2016). Brown continued the story with a second arc beginning with "Iron Gold" (2018), followed by "Dark Age" (2019) and "Light Bringer" (2023), according to Wikipedia and CBR's reporting. A seventh and reportedly final novel, "Red God," has not yet been published, according to Collider and CBR. Collider reported the series has sold more than six million copies.

No release date, casting or filming timeline has been announced for the Paramount project. It is unclear whether the film will adapt only the first novel or set up a larger franchise.