George R.R. Martin finds new way to procrastinate, is producing another HBO series

By Alex McLevy | April 3, 2015 | 7:05pm

Aux Features TV

Fans of the A Song Of Ice And Fire series were heartened recently to learn that the series’ author, famous for spawning the head smashing-est show in HBO’s history, is focusing on finishing his next tome, The Winds Of Winter. George R.R. Martin reassured fans that he is not writing any scripts for the new season, so that he can get the next book in the series done. Of course, buried within that story was Martin‘s reference to “an overall deal with HBO, and three new television concepts in various stages of development, with a variety of collaborators and partners.” And now it seems that development deal with HBO is actively turning into a job, as Entertainment Weekly reports that Martin is producing a new series called Captain Cosmos with Z Nation writer Michael Cassutt. So it seems that Martin saying his energies were “best devoted to Winds“ was really more his fun way of saying his energies are “best devoted to making that sweet, sweet HBO money, because writing is for nerds.”

Likely setting some sort of record for procrastination, Martin will oversee the new show with the kind of dedicated focus he usually only applies to not writing books. Captain Cosmos is set in 1949, at the beginning of television’s mass adoption in America, where “a visionary young writer creates a science fiction series that tells stories no one else will dare to tell.” Presumably at this point in the pitch to HBO, Martin said, “I dunno, maybe we could call this visionary writer Jordan L.L. Bartin, or something.” And sure, maybe Martin is insisting that this new producing gig won’t take too much time. Besides, he’s given you some sample chapters to tide you over, because he doesn’t give a shit about spoilers. But careful readers know that this is Martin’s way of teasing his intent to never finish his series. Despite the false translation proffered by Game Of Thrones, the mysterious Valyrian phrase “Valar Morghulis” actually means “All Men Must Get Used To Never Getting Another Book From Me, George R.R. Martin.”