Given that Martian colonies in conflict for independence from Earth was a major subplot in his Babylon 5 series, J. Michael Straczynski definitely has the credentials for a new gig. He’ll kick off work writing scripts for US network Spike’s adaptation of Kim Stanley Robinson’s hard SF novel series Red Mars.
Robinson’s books – which comprise a trilogy with Red Mars, Blue Mars and Green Mars – scored Hugo and Nebula Awards and are seen as the best stories about terraforming in the world of literary science fiction.
The series will follow a similar route, charting the tough struggles as mankind tries to tame the Red Planet so it can sustain human life. Spike nabbed the rights in October and hired Game Of Thrones veteran Vince Gerardis as an executive producer, with Robinson also on board to consult.
Straczynski has been typically busy of late, working on several comic book titles and working on Sense8, the sci-fi series for Netflix he’s co-producing with the Wachowskis. The first season of that show is scheduled to hit the streaming service this year.