SKINTRADEMOVIETHUMB

Suspense / Horror – In Development

Mark B. Newbauer of Mike the Pike Productions Inc. sent along word that his company has optioned the rights to THE SKIN TRADE, a werewolf novella by celebrated science-fiction writer George R.R. Martin. The story originally appeared in the horror anthology NIGHT VISIONS 5, first published in 1988 and reissued in paperback two years later under the TRADE title.

THE SKIN TRADE is set in a small town where a private detective investigates murders by a mysterious killer who takes his victims’ skins, and proves to be preying on lycanthropes. “This is a fantastic step up for the motion picture division of our company,” Newbauer says. “We began discussions on this property almost two years ago with the foresight that vampires and werewolves would be the forthcoming trend. We can’t take full credit on this at risk of being boastful, but the timing couldn’t be better for this project. That said, the appeal is that it is timeless in form, with a Gothic detective story with a hint of the supernatural. We think this story would make an excellent miniseries, movie of the week or studio, mini-major or independent feature, and we’ll be aggressively shopping all angles.”

Over at his blog,  Martin expresses excitement of his own about the project, writing, “I’ve always thought there was a terrific movie in THE SKIN TRADE, but somehow no one has ever optioned it till now. The novella is a horror/mystery cross set in a decaying rustbelt city and featuring a hot young female private eye and a hypochondriac lycanthrope; how’s that for high concept? Randi and Willie are still favorites of mine. The novella won the World Fantasy Award too, which is how I got that head of H.P. Lovecraft that looks down over my living room. I hope that Mike the Pike does a kickass job with it.”

In addition to the feature adaptation, THE SKIN TRADE is also being turned into a comic-book miniseries/graphic novel by Avatar Press, with Daniel Abraham scripting the adaptation and Marek Oleksicki pencilling the art. Look for updates on both projects as we hear ’em.

UPDATES

March 2, 2010 - HBO says yes to Game of Thrones series (plus 1st pic!)

February 17, 2010 - Mike The Pike Secures Acclaimed Producer for George R.R. Martin’s ‘The Skin Trade’


Other Articles You Might Find Interesting