In his seemingly endless quest to not finish The Winds of Winter, Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has a new project on the table: He’s producing a magical-realist reimagining of the story of Hercules, animated by Blue Spirit, the Emmy-winning studio behind the bloody Netflix revenge series Blue Eye Samurai. The film is based on the novella A Dozen Tough Jobs from Howard Waldrop, a Nebula Award winner and Martin’s lifelong friend.
A Dozen Tough Jobs sets the Greek myth in 1920s Mississippi, making Zeus’ son Hercules a former sharecropper descended from slaves. After being released from prison for a heinous crime, he lands in the custody of the wicked Boss Eustice, and has to earn his freedom through spins on the classical 12 labors of Hercules. That story feels like a good fit for Blue Spirit, which combined Japanese history and the blood-soaked trappings of Quentin Tarantino movies in Blue Eye Samurai.
Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-Tep, Hap & Leonard) is writing the script for Lion Forge Entertainment, the studio behind the Oscar-winning short Hair Love. No timeline for the release has been announced.
“If anyone understands the power of epic stories and expansive franchises, it’s George R.R. Martin,” Lion Forge founder David Steward II said in a news release. “With A Dozen Tough Jobs, we’re reimagining a timeless legend through fresh, culturally rich lenses. This isn’t just a retelling — it’s a groundbreaking take unlike anything audiences have seen before, grounded in history but pushing myth into uncharted territory.”Martin previously produced the 2022 short film adaptation of Waldrop’s short story Night of the Cooters, starring Vincent D’Onofrio. Beyond Game of Thrones, he is producing several other projects in various stages of development, including adaptations of Nnedi Okarofor’s Who Fears Death, Roger Zelazny’s Roadmarks, and his own Wild Cards shared-world anthology series.
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