The five teenagers pressed close together at an observation window, lit blue by a living Earth that fills the view: white cloud, blue ocean and green continents, with the red Martian horizon below the glass.
We Are Mars

MEET THE CHARACTERS

THE GENERATION THAT DISCOVERED THE TRUTH

Five teenagers risk everything to reach Earth. One commander will do anything to bring them back.

The Martian colony at night, seen from a ridge. Glass domes hold lit cities, a transit tube runs between them across the red plain, and rockets stand on a distant launch pad under a low orange sun.

Mars

The only world they have ever known. Glass over a red plain and a history no one is allowed to question.

Jack Rush, a teenager with tousled dark brown hair and a small scar through one eyebrow, in a worn grey flight jacket with a faded red planet patch on the chest, looking straight at the camera.

THE RELUCTANT LEADER

JACK BENJAMIN RUSH

Born July 4, 2159

Born on Mars in 2159, Jack Rush has spent his entire life questioning the history his generation was taught. Intelligent, compassionate, and instinctively courageous, Jack possesses the rare ability to lead without placing himself above anyone else. When he discovers that Earth is alive, his search for the truth becomes a fight for humanity’s future. His family name carries a revolutionary legacy he has yet to understand.

MEET JACK

The five teenagers inside the ruined, ivy-grown New York Public Library, sunlight falling through the tall windows onto film canisters, archive crates, old books, maps and photographs. A wide screen above them shows a burning city, a rocket leaving for Mars, and a living Earth of forest, ocean, a breaching whale and a deer at the water. Jack reads a handwritten page; carved stone beside them reads KNOWLEDGE SURVIVES.

The Archive

Hidden beneath the ruins of New York, they discover the history Mars erased and the revolutionary legacy waiting for Jack Rush.

The Crew

The four who went with him

Mei, a teenager with black hair pulled back from her face, in a heavy weathered grey work coat with a high collar, turned slightly and watching something off camera.

THE CODEBREAKER

MEI

Brilliant, observant, and fearless under pressure, Mei understands the systems controlling life on Mars better than the people who built them. Her ability to uncover hidden information helps the group penetrate the government’s Earth blockade. Beneath her disciplined exterior is a deeply hopeful young woman who dreams of building a real family and a life beneath an open sky.

MEET MEI

Mei Chen and Jack Rush side by side at the observation window, faces lit by the Earth, both looking up at it in the same moment of silence, Malik just behind them.

JACK + MEI

SOME JOURNEYS CHANGE WHERE YOU BELONG. OTHERS CHANGE WHO YOU BELONG WITH.

Jack Rush is driven by instinct, curiosity, and an almost reckless belief that the truth is worth pursuing.

Mei Chen trusts evidence, precision, and control.

They begin as friends who challenge each other. But after uncovering the greatest lie in human history, stealing a spacecraft, and making a one-way journey toward Earth, friendship begins to become something neither of them expected.

Their relationship grows quietly through danger, trust, sacrifice, and the possibility that every goodbye could be their last.

But WE ARE MARS: REBELLION is about more than the journey between two worlds.

It is about friendship, parents and children, sacrifice, humor, and first love. It is about five teenagers discovering who they are while confronting a truth that could change the future of humanity.

Jack and Mei set out to discover whether Earth is still alive.

Along the way, they discover something neither of them was looking for.

Malik, a teenager in a worn rust-brown work jacket over a dark shirt, hands in his pockets, standing squarely and looking at the camera.

THE ENGINEER

MALIK

Malik can repair almost anything, usually with fewer tools and less time than should be possible. Resourceful, loyal, and quietly brave, he becomes essential when the stolen spacecraft begins failing during the journey to Earth. Malik does not seek attention, but when survival demands sacrifice, he repeatedly puts the lives of his friends before his own.

MEET MALIK

Santi, a teenager with dark curly hair, in a grey flight suit with the collar open, half-smiling at the camera.

THE NAVIGATOR

SANTI

Quick-thinking, adventurous, and naturally funny, Santi uses humor to hide how frightened he truly is. His understanding of spacecraft navigation and transportation systems gives the teenagers a chance to escape Mars. When the mission turns deadly, Santi must move beyond jokes and make the defining choice that proves his courage.

MEET SANTI

Ava, a teenager with light brown hair worn in a long braid, in a pale grey canvas jacket over dark layers, looking past the camera.

THE HEART

AVA

Empathetic, perceptive, and fascinated by living ecosystems, Ava represents the humanity the Mars government believes no longer exists. She dreams of becoming a mother and creating a future defined by love rather than fear. On Earth, her compassion becomes a source of strength, reminding the group that survival means more than remaining alive.

MEET AVA

The five teenagers inside the cockpit of a small stolen craft banking hard away from the lit domes of the Martian colony, with four red-lit interceptors closing from behind.

The Escape

One stolen craft, five teenagers, and a government that will not let the truth leave the planet.

Chancellor Orson Voss, a silver-haired man in a severe black high-collared uniform coat, standing against a dark grey background and looking straight at the camera.

THE PROTECTOR OF THE LIE

CHANCELLOR ORSON VOSS

Chancellor Orson Voss is one of Mars’ most powerful leaders and the relentless guardian of its greatest secret. Controlled, intelligent, and unwavering, Voss believes humanity will destroy Earth again if allowed to return. Voss does not see himself as evil. He believes deception, imprisonment, and force are necessary to protect both worlds and that Jack Rush may become the most dangerous person alive.

MEET VOSS

CASTING VISION

CASTING THE REBELLION.RISING STARS. A-LIST ANCHORS.

CASTING VISION — FOR DISCUSSION ONLY

Representative casting ideas illustrating the age, presence and caliber envisioned for each role. No actor shown is currently attached unless expressly stated.

THE FIVEBreakout and rising talent

  • JACK BENJAMIN RUSH

    17 · THE LEAD

    1. Casting reference: Mason Thames MASON THAMES
    2. Casting reference: Walker Scobell WALKER SCOBELL
    3. Casting reference: Owen Cooper OWEN COOPER

  • MEI CHEN

    17 · THE GENIUS

    1. Casting reference: Anna Cathcart ANNA CATHCART
    2. Casting reference: Ashley Liao ASHLEY LIAO
    3. Casting reference: Madison Hu MADISON HU

  • MALIK OKAFOR

    18 · THE ENGINEER

    1. Casting reference: Miles Brown MILES BROWN
    2. Casting reference: Jalyn Hall JALYN HALL
    3. Casting reference: Caleb McLaughlin CALEB MCLAUGHLIN

  • SANTI REYES

    17 · THE CHARMER

    1. Casting reference: Iñaki Godoy IÑAKI GODOY
    2. Casting reference: Xolo Maridueña XOLO MARIDUEÑA
    3. Casting reference: Jaden Michael JADEN MICHAEL

  • AVA VOLKOV

    17 · THE HEART

    1. Casting reference: McKenna Grace MCKENNA GRACE
    2. Casting reference: Sadie Sink SADIE SINK
    3. Casting reference: Dafne Keen DAFNE KEEN

THE WORLD AROUND THEMEstablished performers to anchor the production

  • CHANCELLOR VOSS

    THE CHANCELLOR

    1. Casting reference: Ralph Fiennes RALPH FIENNES
    2. Casting reference: Mads Mikkelsen MADS MIKKELSEN
    3. Casting reference: Gary Oldman GARY OLDMAN

  • DIRECTOR KADE

    THE ENFORCER

    1. Casting reference: Cate Blanchett CATE BLANCHETT
    2. Casting reference: Charlize Theron CHARLIZE THERON
    3. Casting reference: Tilda Swinton TILDA SWINTON

  • ELENA RUSH

    JACK'S MOTHER

    1. Casting reference: Jessica Chastain JESSICA CHASTAIN
    2. Casting reference: Amy Adams AMY ADAMS
    3. Casting reference: Rachel McAdams RACHEL MCADAMS

  • PROFESSOR VALE

    THE MENTOR

    1. Casting reference: Tom Hanks TOM HANKS
    2. Casting reference: Russell Crowe RUSSELL CROWE
    3. Casting reference: Keanu Reeves KEANU REEVES

  • TARIQ OKAFOR

    MALIK'S FATHER

    1. Casting reference: Idris Elba IDRIS ELBA
    2. Casting reference: Chiwetel Ejiofor CHIWETEL EJIOFOR
    3. Casting reference: Mahershala Ali MAHERSHALA ALI

  • NADIA VOLKOV

    AVA'S MOTHER

    1. Casting reference: Scarlett Johansson SCARLETT JOHANSSON
    2. Casting reference: Vanessa Kirby VANESSA KIRBY
    3. Casting reference: Rebecca Ferguson REBECCA FERGUSON

THE NEXT GENERATION LEADS THE REBELLION.

The world around them demands extraordinary talent.

Photo credits

Reference photographs from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences below; cropped to a square and shown in black and white, otherwise unaltered. Their use here implies no endorsement by, or association with, anyone shown.

The five teenagers climbing away from their wrecked craft on the shore of a clear lake on Earth, mist lying on the water, pine forest and mountains beyond, birds overhead and deer drinking at the far bank.

THE TRUTH WILL BRING THEM TO EARTH.