SyFy greenlights George R.R. Martin space opera TV series

SyFy has given the green light to Nightflyers, a TV show based on George R.R. Martin's 1980 novella of the same name, after the production of an internal pilot.

The TV series will adapt and expand the original novella, and may explore other aspects of the Thousand Worlds, a linked science fiction setting that the majority of Martin's SF short stories and novellas from the 1970s and 1980s were set in.

Jodie Turner-Smith (The Last Ship) will star as Melantha Jhirl, with Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire) as Dr. Agatha Matheson. Eoin Macken, David Ajala, Sam Strike, Maya Eshet, Angus Sampson and Brian F. O'Byrne also star.

Martin will have a production credit but will not be working on the show, due to his commitments to finishing the Song of Ice and Fire novels and also aiding in the development of several potential Game of Thrones spin-off series for HBO. Martin has an exclusive development deal with HBO which prevents him from working for other broadcasters in a substantive role.

SyFy are also developing a TV series based on the Wild Cards superhero setting created by Martin, but have not yet decided to proceed with that project.

Nightflyers will be filmed in the Republic of Ireland and it sounds like SyFy may fast-track it to hit the air before the end of the year. Nightflyers will air on SyFy in the USA and Netflix in the rest of the world.