Spike Orders 10 Episodes of Red Mars TV Show Adaptation

It may prove unfilmable, but Spike is still going to try to turn Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy into a television series. The cable network just greenlit a 10-episode straight-to-order first season for the story of a terraforming Mars' first colonists. 

To the casual observer, this might seem an ambitious move for the network best known for dudely reality shows — and it is. Not only will this be the network's first attempt at original scripted programming in nine years, but Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars are incredibly visually and narratively-complex books that have a massive fanbase, having been published in 21 languages around the world.

However, so far, Spike has made some encouraging choices regarding the adaptation. The show will be made by Skydance Television, the studio responsible for bringing WGN's Manhattan and Netflix's Frank and Gracie to the screen. This will be the studio's third foray into television programming, but the larger studio umbrella — Skydance Productions — has co-produced the Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond, and the last two Mission Impossible films.

Also, Spike/Skydance have brought on J. Michael Straczynski to run the show. Straczynski is best known for creating and showrunning Babylon 5 and, more recently, for showrunning Netflix drama Sense8 with the Wachowski siblings. Game of Thrones co-executive producer Vince Gerardicos will also be executive producing the show.

Finally, the fact that Spike has ordered 10 straight-to-order episodes of this show speaks volumes about their commitment to it. Perhaps Red Mars will benefit from the increased attention and resources that often come with a network's attempt to try something new. Or not. I just know that I've been waiting for a good space colonist drama to come back to TV since Earth 2 was canceled. 

According to this Variety article, the project will begin filming this summer for a slated January 2017 premiere. Mark your calendars.