HBO is moving forward with Who Fears Death, an upcoming drama series in development that will be executive produced by author George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame and former HBO President Michael Lombard. It was announced a couple of months ago that HBO was in the early stages of developing Who Fears Death with Martin, now we can confirm that HBO has sealed the deal and the series will be moving forward.
The series is based off the sci-fi/fantasy novel by Nnedi Okorafo, which was published in 2010 by DAW. The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic future version of Sudan, North Africa, where the light-skinned Nuru oppress the dark-skinned Okeke leading to a society divided by tone of skin. The protagonist, Onyesonwu, is the child of an Okeke woman who was sexually assaulted by a Nuru man and must go on a quest to defeat her sorcerer father using her magical powers when she reaches maturity while fighting to master the powers growing inside of her.
According to a new report by Deadline, the project will reunite Lombardo, who oversaw HBO's programming when Game of Thrones was in development, and Martin who is the author of the book series on which the hit fantasy show is based. Game of Thrones is one of the most talked-about (and pirated) programs on TV right now heading into its final season set to air sometime in 2018 or 2019.
The Who Fears Death novel won the 2011 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and the 2010 Carl Brandon Kindred Award "for an outstanding work of speculative fiction dealing with race and ethnicity," making the upcoming TV series an exciting addition to the world of fantasy where those typically underrepresented in the genre can shine.
Martin executive producing Who Fears Death is part of his overall contract with HBO, which also includes his involvement with the four Game of Thrones spinoffs/prequels also in development. It's going to be a busy next few years for Martin, in addition to the spinoffs (and the final two books in his A Song of Ice and Fire series) it was also announced recently that his novella Nightflyers has been ordered to series by SYFY.
It's exciting news for HBO, which has made a name for itself in the sci-fi/fantasy genre during the past decade with hits like True Blood, Game of Thrones and, most recently, Westworld. Along with Who Fears Death, HBO is also developing other drama series like Lovecraft Country, Watchmen and The New Pope - showing that the network is continuing to push out new and innovative programming and is possibly looking for their next Game of Thrones-level epic fantasy series with Who Fears Death.
Screen Rant will keep you updated on all Who Fears Death news.