It seems somehow ironic that Game Of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin will be developing and producing a new series for HBO called Who Fears Death, as the answer to that in Westeros would be, "everyone, you homicide-happy author!" Still, that isn't stopping him from shepherding author and professor Nnedi Okorafor's book to the screen, as Tweeted by Okorafor herself.
While Variety cautions that the deal has yet to officially close (and HBO didn't want to comment), the Tweet seems enthusiastic. Okorafor's book is set in a post-apocalyptic Africa in which the Nuru tribe enslaves the Okeke people. On the brink of eradicating them for good, a hope is found in a young girl, the product of a Nuru warrior who raped an Okeke woman. As she grows, the young woman, named Onyesonwu ("who fears death"), develops magical powers, but is also targeted by powerful forces that see her as a threat.
It's good to see Martin using the power he's accrued through the success of Thrones to give other writers a chance to bring their work to an even wider audience, though we can just hear the wags wondering whether this will slow him down further writing new books... Game Of Thrones, based on Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire books, returns to our screens on Sunday (technically early Monday in the UK, given the simulcast).
Game Of Thrones Creator George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards Headed To TV