It’s no secret that ‘Game of Thrones,’ based on the written works of prolific author George R.R. Martin, is kind of a big deal and a huge financial success for HBO.  Surprising no one, then, other TV networks are starting to mine Martin’s back-catalog of “other” works of fiction. Earlier this year, SyFy landed on ‘Nightflyers,’ and has ordered first a pilot and now a 1o-episode first season that will be based on Martin’s mid-1980s novella of the same name.

Martin has been in close contact with the SyFy creative team, particularly writer Jeff Buhler and showrunner Daniel Cerone, and he shared some of his insights and the team’s relevant info in a recent LiveJournal entry:

“I was delighted to have the chance to sit down and talk with Jeff and Daniel, and learn more of their plans. ‘Nightflyers’ was only a pilot script in May, but subsequently it has been picked up for a full ten-episode season order, with a substantial budget, one that should allow them to create a show that looks as good as modern audiences expect. They showed me drawings of some of the set designs, some very cool sets.

 

‘Nightflyers’ will be shot in the Republic of Ireland, I’m told, on sound stages in Limerick… which will give them access to the same great pool of Irish and British actors that ‘Game of Thrones’ has tapped in Belfast (and considering how many characters we’ve killed, a lot of them should be available). If all goes according to schedule, the series should debut this summer, in late July. It will be broadcast on SyFy in the USA, and on Netflix around the world.”

Martin also shared that the team gave him a “first look” at the starship from the show, as seen above.

From a 1985 short-story collection, ‘Nightflyers’ is described as a sci-fi horror story.  The tale has actually been adapted to film once already, via a 1987 movie that was heavily altered from the source material and did not fare well.

Here’s the show’s official description from SyFy.  No release date for the series has been set as of yet, but as Martin mentioned, hopefully we’ll see the show sometime in Summer 2018.

Set in the future on the eve of Earth’s destruction, a crew of explorers journey on the most advanced ship in the galaxy, The Nightflyer, to intercept a mysterious alien spacecraft that might hold the key to their survival. As the crew nears their destination, they discover that the ship’s artificial intelligence and never-seen captain may be steering them into deadly and unspeakable horrors deep in the dark reaches of space.