We knew 10 months ago that J. Michael Straczynski (‘Babylon 5‘,’Sense8‘) was working with Spike to develop ‘Red Mars‘ as an ongoing series on the small screen and now I’m happy to report that it has gotten an official order! The series will be based on the complete trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson which has won multiple awards and has a huge following of science fiction readers. The show will be produced by Skydance and has an hour long ten-episode run ahead of it.

The series will be produced by Staczynski and Vince Gerardis (‘Game of Thrones’) with Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Marcy Ross backing them up. Not only that but the novel’s author is on board as a consultant.

The original series consists of the 1993 ‘Red Mars’, 1994 ‘Green Mars’ and 1996 ‘Blue Mars’ as well as a 1999 short story collection titled ‘The Martians’ which can all be used to create the television series.

While Spike usually runs unscripted series for men this is one of the tries for the network to rebrand and increase its audience. I have to admit while a rebranding like this can be hit or miss, the fact that they have such talent involved on such a classic trilogy is giving me hope that they are heading in the right direction. I can only hope that it will work out for them as this could be a runaway science fiction hit if done properly.

The series has also been given an official synopsis for the show which you can read below:

“Red Mars” follows the first settlers charged with terraforming a mysterious planet, all of whom have competed to be a part of the mission. The series delves into the lives of these relative strangers, cut off from everything they’ve ever known and living in the harshest environment imaginable. Over time, viewers will witness the mind-blowing evolution of humans and technology as they learn to adapt in their inhospitable new home.

Are you looking forward to a live action take on ‘Red Mars? Do you think Spike can pull off the series? Share your thoughts below!

‘Red Mars’ will be released in January 2017.