Back in 2005, Spike TV ran “Blade: The Series” for a single season before seemingly giving up on scripted dramas. Next year, Spike TV will reenter the cable drama arena with “Tut,” but the network has grander ambitions as well.
Variety is reporting that Spike TV is developing Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars sci-fi novels into a television series called “Red Mars,” which shares its name with the first book of Robinson’s trilogy. The storyline unfolds in the future as humanity attempts to transform Mars into a hospitable home as political strife and ecological disasters on Earth threaten the survival of the human race.
Robinson’s Red Mars novel was originally published in 1993, with the sequel Green Mars following in 1994 and the final book in the series, Blue Mars was released in 1996. The Mars novels are highly acclaimed and popular among science fiction fans.
In a statement, Spike TV’s Executive Vice President of Original Series, Sharon Levey said “This series shines a light onto many views of what it means to be human, and asks if can we sustain our humanity under incredible duress. We are thrilled to partner with such an accomplished producer as Vince Gerardis to tell this incredible and thought-provoking story.”
“Game of Thrones” co-executive producer Vince Gerardis will executive produce “Red Mars” for Spike TV, with Robinson attached as a consultant. Geradis previously produced “Flash Forward” for ABC.
“There are many homes for large canvas television these days,” said Gerardis. “It inspires me that Sharon has offered her network as home for this and provided a canvas for me to bring the world created in these books to the screen.”
A start date for “Red Mars” was not included in the announcement.
