Martin Signs HBO Deal

Speaking of beloved novelists: One of the ways the entertainment industry works is to lock in the creators of hit, betting on lightning striking twice. HBO is adapt at this technique--that's how we got True Blood after the success of Alan Ball's Six Feet Under--and they have the deep pockets to take the wager when other, more strapped houses hang back.

So it's no surprise to hear that HBO has cut a deal with George R.R. Martin, who not only wrote the novels on which the barnstormingly successful, critic-beloved series Game of Thrones has been based but who's no stranger to writing teleplays (for Thrones and, further back, the original Beauty and the Beast) and who's already been heavily recruited by other TV entities.

The deal is a two-year commitment to stay on the Thrones production team, where he's co-executive producer, and in addition to develop and produce new series for HBO.

Conceptually, Martin's work is exactly what television needs, combining powerfully compelling characters with intricate plots that unfold fast and furiously; and, as all fans of his novels and the Thrones series know, he feels no compunction to keep things safe. Still, Martin is at heart a long-form novelist, not a producer in the classic sense; which means that the success of his future endeavors may depend on finding partnerships like the one at Thrones with the enthusiastic and talented developers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.

Either way, it's exciting to look beyond the March 31 debut of Thrones season 3 to the possibility of more GRRM worlds to come.

Tags: George R.R. Martin, HBO, Game of Thrones Follow me on Twitter  |  Follow me on Facebook