Tessa Thompson to produce Nnedi Okorafor/George R.R. Martin project WHO FEARS DEATH at HBO

Slightly older news, but I missed it when it broke: actress Tessa Thompson (Westworld, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Endgame) has signed a new development deal with HBO and has stepped into an executive producer role on the long-percolating Who Fears Death TV series, which has been in development since 2017.

Who Fears Death is based on the novel of the same name by Nnedi Okorafor. George R.R. Martin proposed a TV adaptation of the book to HBO as part of his long-term development deal with the streamer, following the success of the Game of Thrones TV series (based on his Song of Ice and Fire novel series). It was thought that the project may have been moved to the backburner whilst HBO launched a Game of Thrones spin-off show, Blood of the Dragon, which starts shooting in the UK soon. This news makes it sound like the project has taken a step forwards.

Thompson has set up a new production company, Viva Maude, and is also producing an adaptation of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (a short story collection by Deesha Philyaw) for HBO Max.

At the moment Thompson is only attached to produce, but may also choose to act in one or both projects if a suitable role is available and her schedule clear. The actress is currently reprising her role as Valkyrie on Thor: Love and Thunder, which recently started filming in Australia.

Who Fears Death also now has a showrunner in the form of Aïda Mashaka Croal (Jessica Jones, Luke Cage).