Sci-Fi Storm

This is never a good sign…Spike TV’s production of Red Mars is now on hold after showrunner Peter Noah exited, according to Deadline – and just a couple weeks after announcing Greg Yaitanes as director. One can’t help wonder if that played into the decision, with the standard “creative differences” between Noah and Spike being cited.

We were surprised to learn that Noah was in the lead position, as we last heard that J. Michael Straczynski was shepherding the show as well as writing, but apparently he opted out leaving it to Noah.

Spike TV is still working with Skydance on moving forward, but this will likely delay the release from the expected January 2017 date.

It seems like we are still slowly moving forward to seeing Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars (we’ve been following it for about 15 years, since I started the site!), but step-by-step it goes, naming Emmy-winning Greg Yaitanes (House, Banshee) as director for the series from Skydance TV for Starz.

Peter Noah, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross, Brett Conrad. J. Michael Straczynski and Vince Gerardis are all executive producers, with Straczynski serving as showrunner and also writing.

Production is expected to start this summer, with it to begin airing in 2017.

Spike has given a straight-to-series 10 episode order for Red Mars, with plans for it to debut in January 2017, and production starting next summer.

Red Mars is based on the trilogy of novels by Kim Stanley Robinson – [asin=B000QCS914]Red Mars[/asin], [asin=B000QCS91E]Green Mars[/asin] and [asin=B00165EXI8]Blue Mars[/asin] – which details the colonization and terraforming of Mars with very hard science behind it, with a story spanning a couple centuries. The series (at least to start) will follow the first colonists as they deal with the harsh conditions and isolation from Earth.

J. Michael Straczynski (Sense8, Babylon 5), who was tapped to pen the pilot earlier this year, will write, executive produce and be showrunner. Game of Thrones‘s Vince Gerardis will also executive produce, along with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Marcy Ross for Skydance Productions. JMS’s Studio JMS will also produce with Skydance TV. Robinson will consult for the series.

Babylon 5 creator and co-writer/showrunner of the upcoming Netflix series Sense8 J. Michael Straczynski has signed on to write the adaptation of Kim Stanley Robinson’s Red Mars trilogy as a TV series for Spike TV.

The show has been fasttracked for development by the network after they started development in September.

Given the long history the adaptation has had over the years, I feel a little more confident that this might actually get made.

Robinson’s Red Mars trilogy, which consists of the novels [asin=B000QCS914]Red Mars[/asin], [asin=B000QCS91E]Green Mars[/asin] and [asin=B00165EXI8]Blue Mars[/asin], detail the colonization and terraforming of Mars with very hard science behind it, with a story spanning a couple centuries.

It’s been nearly six years since we reported that AMC was working on a TV series based on Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars trilogy of novels, with then-Sci Fi Channel passing on it before that. Alas, instead of reporting that it is finally coming to the screen, it’s back at square one…Spike TV is now working on the adaptation, focusing on [asin=B000QCS914]Red Mars[/asin] to start, with Vince Gerardis (Game of Thrones) producing.

It may remain in Development Hell still, but at least it hasn’t disappeared…