For those fans of HBO’s Game of Thrones who enjoy the violence of George R. R. Martin’s world, it seems Netflix and SyFy have just a treat for you with their upcoming series, Nightflyers.
Nightflyers is a new series based on George R. R. Martin’s novella of the same name. It is not set in a fantasy world that many associate with the epic fantasy author, but in a sci-fi universe. What many Game of Thrones fans may not realize is that George R. R. Martin actually has a catalog of sci-fi works in which the Nightflyers novella fits. Released originally by Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Martin ended up expanding on the short story until it became a 30,000-word novella. This has since been picked up and developed into a 10-part series.
Netflix has dropped the trailer for Nightflyers, which can be viewed below. Gizmodo has announced this series will air on Netflix in spring for all regions outside of the U.S.
For those of you within the U.S., SyFy will be the place to go to view Nightflyers, with Vice announcing the series will air in the fall.
USA Today released an expanded clip for this new series that also includes some behind-the-scenes footage, including an interview with George R. R. Martin. In the clip, Martin describes Nightflyers as “a haunted house story on a star ship” and “psycho in space.”
If you are worried you might not like Martin’s Nightflyers because it is sci-fi and not fantasy like Game of Thrones, it may still be worth giving it a go with the promise of all that gore. The show’s executive producer and writer, Jeff Buhler, describes the show as “very freaky.” Buhler also promises that fans of Martin’s work will see evidence of the author in Nightflyers as “grounded, flawed and sympathetic characters [are] thrown into a fantastical landscape.” He also indicates that viewers should not get attached to characters within the series as — per typical George R.R. Martin fare — there is a high likelihood some of these characters will die thanks to Martin’s penchant for unpredictability among his characters.
So, what is Nightflyers about?
According to USA Today, Nightflyers will be set 75 years into the future as a group of scientists is sent to the farthest reaches of the solar system in search of an alien race that has been discovered there.
The synopsis from Netflix is below.
“Based on George R. R. Martin’s novella, Nighflyers is 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.”
Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire) stars as Dr. Agatha Matheson alongside Eoin Macken (The Night Shift) as Karl D’Branin, David Ajala (Fast & Furious 6) as Roy Eris, Sam Strike (EastEnders) as Thale, Maya Eshet (Teen Wolf) as Lommie, Angus Sampson (Fargo) as Rowan, Jodie Turner-Smith (The Last Ship) as Melantha Jhirl, and Brian F. O’Byrne (Million Dollar Baby) as Auggie.