"Red Rising" is in development at Paramount, directed by "Hunger Games" Francis Lawrence.

Harvest hail! The rights to the popular "Red Rising" book series have been picked up at Paramount with "Hunger Games" director Francis Lawrence attaching a film based on the first novel. Justin Rhodes will write the screenplay based on the 2014 novel by author Piers Brown. Lawrence and Cameron McConomie for about.blank alongside […]

Harvest hail! The rights to the popular book series "Red Rising" have been acquired by Paramount in collaboration with "Hunger Games" director Francis Lawrence into a film based on the first novel.

Justin Rhodes will write the screenplay based on the original 2014 novel by Pierce Brown. Lawrence and Cameron McConomie will produce for About.Blank alongside Francesco Goodhuis. Brown will executive produce. RELATED STORIES Sherry Redstone-backed Sipur Studios opens London office, sets international strategy including boarding Olivier Dahan's 'Nana' (Exclusive).

"Red Rising" takes place in a sci-fi future where planets have been colonized and society is divided into a color caste system. The poor reds work as slaves in the mines of Mars, while the super-strong golds rule the solar system and fight each other. The books follow the story of Darrow of Lykos, a miner who suffers a heavy loss and becomes involved in a rebel revenge plot against the Golds. He undergoes a brutal transformation to become gold himself and enrolls in military school alongside other youngsters who are tested before joining the highest ranks of gold. There are currently six books in this series, including "Golden Boy", "Morning Star", "Iron Gold", "Dark Age" and "Enlightening", and the seventh and final novel "Red God" is on the way. Popular in Variety

Lawrence is no stranger to adapting popular young adult novels. He has directed all of the "Hunger Games" movies, including next month's prequel "Sunrise in the Harvest" and 2023's "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes." He also directed the Stephen King adaptation of The Long Walk last year.

Lawrence is repped by CAA, Gretchen Rush at Hansen Jacobson and ID. Brown is repped by CAA, Hannah Bowman at Liza Dawson Associates for the publisher and Dave Feldman at Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver & Thompson. Rhodes is repped by CAA, Adam Kolbrenner at Lit Entertainment and Eric Suddleson at Toczek Saddleson.

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.