George R.R. Martin’s ‘The Skin Trade’ is all set for its small screen debut

Fans of “Game of Thrones,” or “GOT,” author George R.R. Martin have a new reason to celebrate as there will be a small screen adaptation of his novella, “The Skin Trade." Cinemax, which is owned by HBO, has ordered a pilot script of Martin's work, which he announced on his official LiveJournal page.

"I am very excited to announce the Cinemax (HBO's sister company) has optioned the television rights to The Skin Trade, the offbeat 'werewolf noir' novella I penned back in the late 80s," Martin’s blog post reads.

“The Skin Trade” is a horror novella about werewolves. It revolves around a female detective who investigates brutal murders that are linked to an underground werewolf clan. It received a lot of praise and even won the World Fantasy Award in 1989. A graphic novel and comic book miniseries of the novella was also published by Avatar Press in September 2013.

Martin’s novella is part of the “Night Visions 5” horror fiction compilation with Stephen King and Dan Simmons. King's stories are titled "The Reploids," "Sneakers" and "Dedication." Simmons' stories, meanwhile, are "Metastasis," "Vanna Fucci Is Alive and Well and Living in Hell" and "Iverson's Pits."

The film rights for Martin’s novella was bought by Mike the Pike Productions and Spoke Lane Entertainment, according to a report from Variety.

The “GOT” author said that this time he won’t be too involved in the production of the TV series, unlike with “Game of Thrones.”

"While I would love to write the script and run the show myself, that was never really in the cards," Martin wrote on LiveJournal. Scriptwriter Kalinda Vazquez ("Once Upon A Time" and "Prison Break") will handle the TV adaptation, produce the show and write the script for the pilot episode.

Martin is currently busy completing his next book, “The Winds of Winter,” which is the sixth novel in his epic fantasy series, “A Song of Ice and Fire.”

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