Marc Forster is a somewhat hit-or -miss filmmaker. For every Finding Neverland and Monster’s Ball he does, there’s also a World War Z and, even worse, Quantum of Solace. Despite the mostly negative reactions (from both critics and audiences) to his last adaptation, the aforementioned World War Z, the director will be trying once again to adapt a novel and this time, it’s Pierce Brown’s Red Rising.
Set on a desolate Mars, the film will revolve around “a lower-class protagonist who becomes a revolutionary and sets about upending an oppressive power.” Joe Roth is on board to produce and is looking at two studios for funding. Those studios were not named, but we do know that Paramount isn’t in the mix, though that studio will be proceeding with a sequel to World War Z without Forster attached.
If you’re unfamiliar with Red Rising, you can check out the plot summary below:
Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.
But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.
Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.
Again, due to his hit-or-miss record as a filmmaker, I’m on the fence about Forster helming Red Rising. I like some of his work, but not enough of it to have me completely on board with whichever project he attaches his name to. That said, I always enjoy a good sci-fi story and Red Rising seems likely to scratch that itch. I haven’t read the novel, but from the plot summary alone, I’m already intrigued.
Perhaps if a strong cast signs on and a solid script is put into place, Forster might find himself another hit with Red Rising. Are you hooked by this premise? Let us know below.