George R.R. Martin's Werewolf Novella Skin Trade Heading to Cinemax

Posted on October 12, 2015

George R.R. Martin just announced that Cinemax has optioned the television rights to Martin's novella Skin Trade, which won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella in 1989. The novella is in a genre that Martin calls "offbeat werewolf noir." He wrote the novella in the late 1980s.

Cinemax, the sister company of HBO, the home of Game of Thrones), has ordered a pilot for the show which will be written by Kalinda Vazquez (Once Upon a Time, Prison Break). The novella tells the story of Randi Wade, a former cop who is now a private investigator. She teams up with a werewolf named Willie Flambeaux who is also a collections agent. The duo get more than they bargained for when they investigate a rash of horrific murders. The show is set in a decaying cityscape.

Martin won't be co-writing the script. He explains, "[W]hile I would have loved to write the script and run the show myself myself, that was never really in the cards. I have this book to finish. You know the one." That is good news for fans of A Song of Fire and Ice who are anxiously awaiting the the publication of Book 6, The Winds of Winter.