Back in 2014, Universal Pictures snapped up the screen adaptation rights to a plucky new science fiction novel called Red Rising. Updates on the project generally came from the author himself, Pierce Brown, but eventually Universal’s rights lapsed. In March of 2026, Brown revealed that the adaptation was essentially canceled, with “no movement” on the business end or the creative front. Ultimately, this Hollywood gridlock may be the best thing for the Red Rising series, as it seems to be in a great position right now. The books have exploded in popularity over the last decade, and at the same time, the entertainment industry has learned a lot about how to adapt an epic series successfully. Most importantly, the seventh and final book in Brown’s series should be coming any day now, making this the perfect time to bring the story to screen.
Red Rising is a unique blend of sci-fi and fantasy that will not be easy to render on screen. The story is set hundreds of years in the future, in a time when humanity has terraformed and colonized much of the solar system. Despite the unfathomable technological power at their disposal, humanity is more stratified than ever — socially and economically — leading to a war of epic proportions. It’s hard to imagine any streamer or studio doing justice to Brown’s Carvelings, GravBoots, and shapeshifting Razor swords back in 2014, especially for a relatively unknown and untested IP. Now that the book series is approaching its final crescendo, it may get the investment it truly needs to succeed.
‘Red Rising’ Has Been on Hollywood’s Backburner
It’s not uncommon for studios to option the rights to a book series before it has proven successful — or even before it has been published. It’s a relatively cheap investment by the studio’s standards, and it comes with no commitment to actually make an adaptation. Brown explained some of the nuances of the process back in March in his interview on Maude Garrett’s YouTube channel, where he revealed that all attempts to adapt Red Rising have been “shelved.”
In 2014, Universal would have seen Red Rising as one of these cheap investments. It came from a brand new author, meaning they could not be sure whether he would even finish the series, or if it would be popular. The series also has unique premise and tone, approaching space warfare with the melodrama of a Greek tragedy. This was before Dune took over the box office, when the sci-fi genre on screen was dominated by Star Wars and Star Trek.
Over a decade later, one of Brown’s heroes might say that the field of battle has shifted considerably, and luck is on their side. Red Rising has become a sensation thanks to “BookTok” and other social media communities, and Brown has had time to show the breadth of his talent as a writer. Not only has the story and worldbuilding expanded and remained strong, but Brown has shown he can follow through and finish a story — a major concern for sci-fi and fantasy authors dabbling in Hollywood. Brown is nearly finished writing Red God, the seventh novel which will conclude the entire saga. In that March interview with Garrett, he said that he had written over 1,000 pages, and was still honing the story before passing it to his publisher.
The conclusion of a massive series like this always draws in new readers who were hesitant to start a book without assurances that it would have a strong ending, meaning the fandom will likely grow even more when Red God is finally released. All of this will raise the perceived value of Red Rising in the eyes of studios, meaning the next attempt to adapt it will likely get a bigger budget, a more prominent streamer, and Brown himself may secure more creative input on the project.
How Should ‘Red Rising’ Be Adapted?
An illustration of Darrow on the cover of “Red Rising” by Pierce Brown.Image via Subterranean Press/Pierce Brown
According to Brown’s posts on social media, Universal originally intended to make Red Rising into a movie back in 2014, but that project was scrapped within a couple of years. In 2018, Brown was developing a TV series adaptation, and in 2021 he hinted that a major streamer was in on the project — possible Netflix, Apple TV, HBO Max, or Prime Video. Fans are certainly interested in a live-action series for Apple TV, noting the streamer’s success with other epic sci-fi shows like Foundation, and its massive plans to adapt Brandon Sanderson‘s Cosmere novels.
Series do seem to be a better fit for novel adaptations than movies, and streamers have definitely caught onto that. Red Rising could make a beautiful live-action series, though the set design and CGI required for its biggest action scenes might become an issue. It’s not that Hollywood artists couldn’t render these environments and stunts — it’s that studios would eventually be tempted to combine major events or abbreviate them to save money, as we’ve seen with other shows in the genre.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
These days, sci-fi and fantasy fans often suggest animated adaptations of their favorite books to counter this issue, as they did with Dungeon Crawler Carl. Red Rising might be the best candidate for this approach — animators would have a field day with variable gravity, ship-to-ship battles, and the eerie atmosphere of a fully colonized yet oppressed solar system. Animation would also solve the issue of the vast size disparity between people of different castes in Red Rising, which would inevitably lead to grumbling fans. Meanwhile, the melodrama of the dialogue would flourish in the hands of experienced voice actors, whereas a single under-committed actor in a live-action scene could break the immersion entirely.
Whatever Hollywood does with Red Rising, it seems like the series will benefit from this long wait for an adaptation. In the meantime, there are six novels for fans to enjoy in print, digital, and audiobook formats, as well as a graphic novel series published by Dynamite Entertainment.
