Another George R.R. Martin book could get a TV show
Forget seeing The Winds of Winter before the winter — George R.R. Martin will be adding even more projects to his roster.
The Song of Ice and Fire author whose work inspired the Emmy Award-winning Game of Thrones series confirmed on his blog that his 1989 werewolf novella, The Skin Trade, will be adapted for television by Cinemax.
"I am very excited to announce the Cinemax (HBO’s sister company) has optioned the television rights to The Skin Trade, the offbeat 'werewolf noir' novella I penned back in the late '80s," Martin said on his Not a Blog Saturday.
Cinemax has ordered a pilot for the series, but there's no certainty it will make it to air, Martin said.
The Skin Trade originally was published as part of a horror fiction compilation, Night Vision 5, which included stories by Stephen King and Dan Simmons. The Skin Trade, about the adventures of a female private investigator, Randi Wade, and her werewolf friend Willie Flambeaux, won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella in 1989.
The adaptation will be written by Kalinda Vazquez, who previously wrote for Prison Break and Once Upon a Time, according to Martin.
"Cinemax and my agents set me up for meetings with close to a dozen different TV writers, many of them very impressive, but Kalinda's take on the story and the characters blew me away," Martin said. "She loves the story and the world, and really seems to get Willie and Randi, and her pitch to Cinemax was one of the most polished and professional I've ever heard. I love her enthusiasm, and look forward to working with her."
Martin won't be playing as large a role in the development of the series as he did with Game of Thrones, the popular HBO adaptation of his A Song of Ice and Fire series. Martin has set aside many of his projects and public appearances to finish The Winds of Winter, the sixth installment in his much-anticipated fantasy series.
"...(W)hile I would have loved to write the script and run the show myself myself, that was never really in the cards. I have this book to finish. You know the one," Martin said.