George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novel series is so huge that most people often forget he has written dozens of other books and short stories. Martin has about 50 distinct non-Westeros works. But does anyone care? Only a few people really do. The Winds of Winter's release date is what the majority of fans want to know at the moment. Even movie and TV show producers don't seem to care much about Martin's other efforts. Westeros is where the money is, so they are going to pitch a tent there for the foreseeable future.
At the moment, two more Westeros-related shows have been confirmed, with three more rumored to be in development. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Game of Thrones fans are being overfed, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but the smell of monotony permeates the air. If you are looking for other adaptations of George R.R. Martin's works, you'd be sad to know that there are only five. Most of them are far from perfect, too, but they are watchable. If you're keen on checking them out, here is how to prioritize them.
5 'Nightflyers' (1987) Based on: 'Nightflyers'
Set in the 21st century, Nightflyers centers on scientist Darlyn Reed (Catherine Mary Stewart) and the crew of the starship Nightflyer, commanded by a hologram of the mysterious Royd Eris (Michael Praed). Their mission is to find the source of an alien signal belonging to a species known as the Volcryn. Sadly, strange occurrences happen during the journey, and the team soon realizes the ship is haunted.
A Tame Version of 'Alien'
There are about two million sci-fi horror movies better than Nightflyers. The presence of so many big-name actors in the cast list (including Catherine Mary Stewart from Days of Our Lives) is a sure sign that director Robert Collector, aka T.C. Blake, was far more preoccupied with entertaining mainstream audiences and riding the '80s sci-fi wave than creating a proper Alien-like masterpiece. That said, this is not a terrible film. It's just a pity that the deeper astronomy messages feel so muted.
If you ever wondered how a good story that tackled topics such as bureaucracy and the purity of species could become something so underwhelming when transferred to the screen, this film will give you some answers. However, the motion picture meant a lot to George R.R. Martin. "It may not have saved my life, but in a very real sense it saved my career, and everything I have written since exists in no small part because of it," he wrote on his blog. Indeed, the film came after a series of spectacular literary misfires that had threatened to erode the reputation he had earned for himself in the 1970s. His TV writing career wasn't going so well either, so he must have felt nice seeing one of his stories getting adapted to a movie for the first time.
4 'In the Lost Lands' (2025) Based on: 'In the Lost Lands'
Earth has become a dystopian wasteland in In the Lost Lands. As everyone figures out how to survive, a queen hires the feared witch Gray Alys (Milla Jovovich) to venture into the haunted lands and secure a werewolf's dark magical power. Eager to complete the mission, Alys teams up with the drifter-hunter known as Boyce (Dave Bautista), who knows every corner of the wasteland. Will they come out of demon-infested ruins in one piece?
Looks Good, But That's It
Other than some pretty photography of the wastelands, the movie's artistic content is nil. Did we all see it coming? None of director Paul W. S. Anderson's movies are certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. That's quite an alarming record, and arguments can be made that In the Lost Lands might have been lyrical and spellbinding in the hands of another filmmaker. Who knows?
Made on a $55 million budget, the action fantasy flick only made $6.2 million at the box office, despite having proven talents in the cast like Dave Bautista and Milla Jovovich, with whom the director has collaborated several times. It sure seems Anderson is like Michael Bay. Give him a lot of money, and he'll spend it all on the visuals, forgetting the story. Hopefully, we'll see something better next time.
3 'Nightflyers' (2018) Based on: 'Nightflyers'
Events in Nightflyers play out the same way they do in the short story and in the 1980s movie. A team of scientists embarks on a journey into space aboard an advanced spacecraft called the Nightflyer. Soon, violent events begin to occur. George R. R. Martin could not be directly involved with the SyFy series due to his exclusive contract with HBO, but is credited as an executive producer.
Same Old Mistakes
Those who hoped for that rare instance when a remake brings with it something new and refreshing were left disappointed. Nightflyers is no better than the movie and fails to match the novella's quality. The differences between this and the source material are hardly subtle, and they are revealing a worrying trend in mainstream cinema and television where works of literature get adapted more times than is necessary.
We'd have loved to see this rag-tag group of players coalesce into an unbeatable space crew under the leadership of no-nonsense Karl d'Branin, the astrophysicist making the orders during the expedition. But none of that happens. It's all talk and more talk. Better alien-themed TV shows exist, something viewers must have recognized early on, resulting in a drop in figures. Consequently, the series was canceled after only one season.
2 'The Hitchhiker' (1984 Episode: "Remembering Melody") Based on: 'Remembering Melody'
The anthology series, The Hitchhiker (alternatively known as Deadly Nightmares in the United Kingdom and Le Voyageur in France), was a huge hit in the '80s. Each episode is presented by a mysterious wanderer known only as "The Hitchhiker" and explores the dark side of humanity. The episode "Remembering Melody" follows Teddy, an attorney haunted by the memory of his deceased lover, Melody (Carrie Snodgrass), who dies by suicide. As time passes, he hears and sees more strange signs linked to her. Could she be reaching out from the afterlife?
Supernatural Horror at Its Finest
"Remembering Melody" is a powerful episode highlighting the pain and regret that often stem from a lack of reciprocation. It's never a good idea to double-cross anyone in a horror tale, but Teddy actually thought he could get away with it. Leaving Melody emotionally wounded, he becomes understandably rattled when her spirit is suddenly back in the midst, intending to torture him as much as possible. We learn that Melody really put up with Teddy and his annoying friends, often bailing them out of terrible situations while he was still in college. Sadly, he starts to ignore her once he becomes successful.
Many episodes of The Hitchhiker's second season were nothing but highly crafted whimsy; entertaining but lacking any logical reason to exist. The payoffs were duds, too. However, this episode is a marvel on all levels. The lights and overall visuals will enthrall you. The haunting images seem like artwork, dancing between classical representation and proto-impressionism. Catch it if you can.
1 'The Outer Limits' (1995 Episode: "The Sandkings") Based on: 'Sandkings'
Sandkings is the only one of George R.R. Martin's stories to date to win both the Hugo and the Nebula awards, and it received a proper adaptation as the first feature-length episode of the revived version of the hit anthology series, The Outer Limits. In it, Dr. Simon Kress (Beau Bridges), a xenobiologist, gets fired from a government lab for conducting reckless extraterrestrial research. He continues the experiments in his desert home, only for the alien insect-like creatures called Sandkings to turn against him.
Beau Bridges's Best Performance
"The Sandkings" is a bizarre, fascinating psychodrama depicting science not as a tool for discovery, but for malice. Beau Bridges is excellent in the lead role, showing no remorse at all when the consequences of his character's actions manifest themselves. In any conversation about the craziest mad scientists on screen, Dr. Simon Kress needs to be mentioned.
The episode earned five Gemini Award nominations. As expected, one of these was in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for Bridges' leading role as Simon Kress. In addition to that, he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series and a CableACE Award for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series.