4 George R.R. Martin Adaptations That Are Better Than In the Lost Lands (No GoT)
It's not just Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon that have found a second life on screen – the author has a rather long and fruitful history of working with television.
The recently released In the Lost Lands, based on the story of the same name by George R.R. Martin, became the most disastrous adaptation of the author's works with 25% on Rotten Tomatoes.
We decided to remember other works by George R.R. Martin that have received a worthy adaptation – except for Game of Thrones, of course, which everyone already knows.
1. The Hitchhiker, 1983-1991
The mystical adventure anthology told the story of hitchhikers who found themselves in a whirlwind of surreal events. At the end of each episode, viewers could not be sure if the characters would survive their journey, adding to the suspense.
George Martin was invited to adapt his own story, Remembering Melody, into one of the series' episodes. Three friends stopped communicating with their friend because of her bad habits.
Soon a girl named Melody dies, and her friends cannot get over their guilt. To make matters worse, the ghost of the girl haunts her former friends.
It is definitely worth getting acquainted with the first example of Martin's work as a screenwriter: Remembering Melody is the second episode of Season 2. In it you can already see what the writer will be loved for in the future: bright characters, realistic narration and mystical forces that need to be stopped.
2. Nightflyers, 1987
In search of a mysterious creature, a team of explorers flies in a spaceship to a distant planet. Preparing to meet the unknown, the team trusts the ship's computer completely. It would be better if they didn't.
In 1984 the rights to the novella Nightflyers were bought by Vista Studios. The author was very happy with this deal, as well as the opportunity to work with filmmakers as a co-writer and producer.
The main roles were played by Canadian actress Catherine Mary Stewart, singer and actor Michael Praed and Sir John Standing. You may have seen the latter as Jon Arryn, the late Hand from the first episode of Game of Thrones.
3. The Outer Limits: The Sandkings, 1995
The first two-hour episode of the Outer Limits reboot was based on the story of the same name by George Martin. The show's creators tried to fit as many details of the original as possible into the given running time, but the events still differed from the book.
Using the story as a basis, the team moved the events to Mars. A disgraced scientist loses his job after an unsuccessful attempt to discover life on the planet and a mistake that almost sends Martian soil into the Earth's atmosphere.
But the scientist does not give up and discovers intelligent worms that try to talk to him. And it seems that they consider the scientist to be their god.
4. The Twilight Zone, 1985-1989
After George Martin published the novel Nightflyers in 1985, CBS became interested in the author, so he could work on the legendary project – the series The Twilight Zone.
In the 80s, the project was planned for a reboot, famous directors, screenwriters, and writers were recruited into the ranks of authors of new stories. George Martin co-wrote several episodes: The Last Defender of Camelot, The Once and Future King, and Toys of Caliban.
