George R.R. Martinis one of the most iconic modern novelists.He is best known for penning theA Song Of Ice And Fireseries, which has been adapted for the screen as HBO’sGame of Thronesas well as the prequel spinoffHouse of the Dragon. Though its later seasons were poorly received,Game of Thronesremains one of the most beloved 21st century dramas, winning a total of 59 Emmy Awards over its eight-season run. AnotherspinoffcalledA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is in the works and set for release sometime this year.
Not all of Martin adaptations are created equally, however.This year’sIn the Lost Landsadapts one of Martin’s short stories, and is performing abysmally so far.In the Lost Landsreceived terrible reviews, getting a 24% on Rotten Tomatoes.ScreenRant’s Alex Harrison gave the movie 2 out of 10 stars, cautioning “don’t waste your time” to summarize his review. The movie has made under $3 million at the box office. AfterIn the Lost Lands, Martin addresses which of his works he would next like to see adapted.
Martin Would Like To Adapt Fevre Dream
The Novel Is A Vampire Period Piece
Martin choseFevreDreamas the next of his books that he would like adapted to the screen. One of his earlier works,Fevre Dreamis a 1982-released vampire novel. It takes its setting from the antebellum Mississippi River, kicking off its plot in 1857. The novel has been described as “Bram Stoker meets Mark Twain” by both critics and Martin himself. While the book has never been adapted for film or television, Avatar Press published a 10-issue graphic novel adaptation of the book in 2010.
Speaking withCollider,Martin deemsFevre Dreamthe next of his novels that he would like to adapt. Martin explained thatFevre Dream, which he referred to as his “favorite child,” was once in talks to be adapted by Disney. That fell through, but Martin has the rights to the script and says that there is now “interest from at least three fairly major directors.” He highly respects two of these directors, and of the third says thatFevre Dream"would be a good movie from them". Check out the full quote from Martin below:
I think maybe my favorite child is my vampire book, Fevre Dream, which, until I started with Game of Thrones, was definitely the best of my preceding novels.
If it is made, I don’t want to hire some other writer to have his version. I want my version. I want to get a director on it who loves the material and would be a great director. We’ve had interest from at least three fairly major directors, two of whom I love. They’re great, great directors, and it would be amazing to work with them.
The third is a good, solid director, but I wouldn’t say in the same category as the other two. But still, that would be a good movie from them. This would be the dream project more than any others.
What This Means For George R. R. Martin’s Work
Adaptation Writers Have Wronged Martin Before
While Martin does not come after theGame of Thronesteam directly in his quote, it screams of the wrongdoings that have been committed against the author’s work in the past. Martin has yet to finish theGame of Thronesnovel series, and so the TV show had to start generating original content in its later seasons. Said content was highly criticized, so it is understandable that Martin would be more cautious as to who he lets adapt his work moving forward. IfMartingets his way,Fevre Dreamcould be a great adaptation.
