George R.R. Martin reveals release date and new pic from In The Lost Lands, based on his short story

As the writer of A Song of Ice and Fire, adapted by HBO as the once-in-a-generation smash TV show Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin is a hot commodity. Even largely forgotten stories he wrote years ago are being turned into movies. That includes In The Lost Lands, which was first published in the anthology Amazons II back in 1982. It's a fantasy story about a sorceress named Gray Alys who can procure for her customers almost anything they want...if they're willing to pay the steep price. As the opening line of the short story reads: “You can buy anything you might desire from Gray Alys. But it is better not to.”

The movie has been in development for a while, with Milla Jovovich playing Grey Alys and Dave Bautista starring as the hunter Boyce, Alys' guide through the foreboding Lost Lands. The other day, Martin revealed a new image from the movie on his blog:

Looks like a fantasy movie to me! Martin also revealed the release date: In The Lost Lands will be out in theaters on February 28, 2025. Not long at all!

That In The Lost Lands is getting made at all I chalk up mostly to Martin's notoriety as a creator following the monumental success of Game of Thrones. It might also have something to do with director Paul W.S. Anderson, who's best known for the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie as well as the Resident Evil movies, which also star Milla Jovovich — his wife — in the lead role. He makes fun movies that get a decent return on investment, but they have a reputation for being a bit schlocky, and he's good at making them on the cheap, or at least what passes for cheap in Hollywood. I'm sure that eased the concerns of producers that In The Lost Lands wasn't part of some mega-franchise, which almost seems like a pre-requisite these days.

Then again, who knows where In The Lost Lands could lead? "A long time ago, I had hoped to write a series of stories about Gray Alys and those bold enough to buy from her… but life and other stories intervened, and somehow I never got around to writing that second tale," Martin writes. "If the film does well enough, maybe I will finally write that sequel. In my copious spare time."

Probably best not to get ahead of ourselves. Personally, I think the movie looks pretty fun. I'll be curious to see more as we near the release date.

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