Spike Goes to RED MARS With Kim Stanley Robinson
Variety reports that Spike has ordered a 10-episode adaptation of Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars.
Based on the trilogy that includes Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars, the Spike production will be executive produced by Game of Thrones exec Vince Gerardis, who brought the project to the network, and J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Sense8). Straczynski will also serve as showrunner. Skydance Television will be home for the series, with producers David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross.
“We are thrilled to join forces with Spike to bring Kim Stanley Robinson’s dynamic world of the Mars trilogy to television audiences for the first time ever, particularly in the brilliant creative voice of science fiction legend J. Michael Straczynski,” said Ross, president of Skydance.
The story follows the colonization of Mars, and the series will follow the first settlers responsible for terraforming the planet, digging into their lives and how they handle being cut off from everything they’ve ever known back on Earth.
“The heart and soul of Red Mars is about humanity. This group of strangers must find a way to live together and survive under the most daunting conditions mankind has ever faced to become the first living generation of Martians. They will be each other’s greatest source of strength — and if they can’t coexist — the greatest reason for failure,” said Spike’s exec vice president of original series, Sharon Levy, who will oversee the project, along with Spike’s Ted Gold, Justin Lacob and Lauren Ruggiero.
Robinson will consult on the series. The novels have been translated into twenty-one languages and is considered among the best written about the subject of colonization of Mars. Noted for their attention to detail, the story follows the colony over the course of centuries. They’ve won both Nebula and Hugo Awards, and are all best-sellers.
