Syfy gives a series order to Nightflyers, based on George R.R. Martin’s story

Get hype, George R.R Martin fans: you’re about to have even more of the Song of Ice and Fire creator’s work in your life. Per Entertainment Weekly, SyFy announced it will pick up Nightflyers, a show based on Martin’s 1980 novella of the same name, to series. The horror/sci-fi combo was most recently in the pilot phase of production, but SyFy must have liked what they saw, and having Martin’s name on it can’t hurt.

Lest you be worried that this will distract Martin from other projects, we should note that Martin won’t actually be involved in making the show — even if he wanted to, his development deal with HBO prevents it. Although he is pleased it’s happening.

SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 25: Writer George R.R. Martin attends HBO’s ‘Game Of Thrones’ panel and Q

The story of Nightflyers, summarized:

"Eight maverick scientists and a powerful telepath embark on an expedition to the edge of our solar system aboard The Nightflyer — a ship with a small tightknit crew and a reclusive captain — in the hope of making contact with alien life. But when terrifying and violent events begin to take place they start to question each other — and surviving the journey proves harder than anyone thought."

Sounds spooky. The novella was actually adapted before, as a feature film in 1987. We’ll let the trailer speak for itself:

This version will probably look a little more impressive. Netflix is co-producing the drama and has picked up the international distribution rights, and they have considerably more resources than SyFy.

Martin recently met with writer/creator Jeff Buhler and showrunner Daniel Cerone in Los Angeles, and seemed enthused about the show’s prospects. “While it departs considerably from my novella in certain details, the essence of the story remains the same — and I thought the teleplay was quite strong on its own terms, and a good launching point for a series.” The departure? Everyone dies in Martin’s original novella. Because that’s what Martin does.

Nightflyers will star Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire) as Dr. Agatha Matheson, Eoin Macken (The Night Shift) as Karl D’Branin, David Ajala (Fast & Furious 6) as Roy Eris, Sam Strike (EastEnders) as Thale, Maya Eshet (Teen Wolf) as Lommie, Angus Sampson (Fargo) as Rowan, Jodie Turner-Smith (The Last Ship) as Melantha Jhirl, and Brían F. O’Byrne (Million Dollar Baby) as Auggie.

Next: Ben Crompton (Dolorous Edd) discusses the “different atmosphere” on the season 8 set

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