‘Red Rising’ Movie Lands ‘Hunger Games’ Director Francis Lawrence

Paramount is developing a film adaptation of Red Rising, Pierce Brown’s best-selling science-fiction series, with Francis Lawrence attached to direct. The project was reported by Deadline and Variety in October 2026, marking the latest attempt to bring the books to the screen.

Lawrence is best known for directing several entries in The Hunger Games franchise, including Catching Fire and the two-part Mockingjay, as well as films such as I Am Legend and Constantine. His experience adapting popular young-adult novels into large-scale franchise films makes him a logical choice for material with a similarly devoted readership.

The books behind the film

Brown’s series begins with Red Rising, published in 2014, and continues through several sequels that have expanded its world and its cast of characters. The story is set in a future society divided into rigid, color-coded castes, and it follows a protagonist from the lowest of those classes who rises through a brutal set of trials and into a wider rebellion. The books blend elements of dystopian fiction, space opera and political drama.

The series has sold millions of copies and built an active fan community, which has made it a persistent target for adaptation even as earlier efforts stalled. Bringing a sprawling, multi-book saga to the screen raises the usual questions about how much of the source material can fit into a single film and whether the adaptation aims for a franchise from the outset.

A crowded field

Studios have leaned heavily on established book series in recent years, hoping to replicate the success of franchises that turned novels into global events. The Hunger Games itself is part of that trend, and Lawrence’s involvement connects the new project to one of the more successful examples of the form.

The adaptation also arrives in a competitive moment for science fiction on screen, with streamers and studios alike investing in large-scale speculative stories. That competition can help a project secure resources, but it also raises the bar for standing out, particularly for a series whose appeal rests on intricate world-building that is difficult to compress.

What is known so far

Details remain limited. No cast has been announced, and there is no release date. It is not yet clear whether the film would adapt only the first book or attempt to set up a broader series, or how closely it would follow Brown’s plotting. The involvement of a director with franchise experience suggests the studio is thinking beyond a single film, but such plans often depend on how an opening installment performs, and no casting or production timeline has been announced yet.

For readers who have waited years for a screen version, the news is a meaningful step after a long period of rumors and false starts. Whether it leads to a finished film, and whether that film satisfies a demanding fan base, will depend on choices that have not yet been made. For now, the project has a director, a studio and a source that has already proven it can hold an audience across multiple volumes.

Sources

Deadline, “Francis Lawrence To Direct ‘Red Rising’ Movie For Paramount”; and Variety, “Red Rising Movie in the Works at Paramount With ‘Hunger Games’ Director” (October 2026).