There are millions of fans waiting for the end of Game of Thrones next year (and a considerable amount waiting for author George R R Martin to finish writing the saga that was the original source material) but it seems that Martin has managed to find time to be involved in another adaptation of his work.
Nightflyers was originally written as a novella back in 1980 and published by Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Martin was subsequently asked to expand the story out an additional 7000 words to around 30,000 and it was published by Dell Publishing. There was a film adaptation in 1987, but now SyFy has produced a ten-episode mini-series based upon it. The concept revolves around a team of scientists on a journey into deep space hoping to contact alien life. However whatever dangers they face from the wider galaxy, it soon turns out that the real terror may actually come from within their own ship and ranks. The cast includes Eoin Macken, David Ajala, Gretchen Mol, Jodie Turner-Smith, Angus Sampson, Sam Strike, Maya Eshet and Brían F. O’Byrne.
SyFy are deploying an interesting strategy for the broadcast of the mini-series. It debuts on 2nd December on SyFy with the first five episodes being available across SyFy‘s digital platforms until 6th December. If you get hooked, the second half of the season will be available to view from 9th to 13th December.
NYCC audiences were treated to a trailer for the mini-series and it all has a decidedly Event Horizon (1997) tone to its ‘claustrophobic space-ship / is this reality or not’ tension. Whether that’s a good thing or not will depend on your light-year mileage…
