Oh Georgie boy: you’re never one for rest now, are you? Sure, you’ve got two books to finish up in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series—plus a maybe-possibly movie iteration to cap off the end of HBO’s Game of Thrones—but who’s to say that’s enough work for one man? Certainly not us, nor Cinemax, it seems, who have optioned the prolific fantasy writer’s 1988 werewolf-centric noir novella, The Skin Trade, for a possible television series that George R.R. Martin would executive produce. No rest for the weary, gang!
According to a blog post from Saturday evening, the author stated that he “always thought there was a TV series (or maybe a feature film) in Willie Flambeaux and Randi Wade.” And now, thanks to writer/co-executive producer Kalinda Vazquez (from Once Upon a Time), the drama will at least get a pilot script order—something for which Martin has long hoped. “Those of you who know the story of Doorways, my ill-fated ABC pilot from the early 90s, may even recall that it was Skin Trade that I was actually trying to sell back in 1991, when I flew out to LA for a round of pitch meetings. So we’re a few decades late…”
Better late than never, though, we always say. The Skin Trade came out of the 1989 horror fiction compilation Dark Visions and centered on Willie Flambeaux—a collections agent who just-so-happens to also be a werewolf—and his friend, Randi Wade, a private investigator. Mystery and intrigue ensue and well, we won’t go into any more details because it’s Sunday and we don’t feel like spoiling anything. But Martin did note in the blog that he would not be writing an episode since he has “this book to finish. You know the one.”
What do you think about the prospect of a Skin Trade television series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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HT: Deadline
Image Credit: Avatar Press
Alicia Lutes is the Associate Editor and resident Khaleesi of Nerdist. Find her and other modest declarations such as this on Twitter (@alicialutes).
