Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin revealed on his official website today that Cinemax has ordered a pilot for a TV series based on his 1980s novella The Skin Trade. The author confirmed that he will not write the script for the show, or serve as the showrunner, because he is too busy finishing his sixth Game of Thrones novel which fans have been eagerly awaiting for years. The Skin Trade centered on Willie Flambeaux, a collections agent who happens to be a werewolf, and his friend, Randi Wade, a private investigator, who discover a dark secret behind a series of grisly murders in their decaying industrial city. Here's what George R.R. Martin had to say about the new series on his official website.

"The Skin Trade has had a storied, and complex, publishing history. It was originally written for Night Vision 5, the fifth volume of the prestigious annual horror anthology from the late lamented small press Dark Harvest, where it appeared together with original contributions from Dan Simmons and Stephen King, some stellar company. The novella was very well received, and went on to win that year's World Fantasy Award."

The Skin Trade was initially pitched as a movie by producer Mark B. Newbauer, who acquired it through his Mike the Pike Productions several years ago. George R.R. Martin also revealed that Kalinda Vazquez has signed on to write the script for the upcoming series, and she will also serve as a producer. Here's another excerpt from the author's official site.

"More recently, the novella was purchased by Mike the Pike Productions, who played a big part in taking the project to Cinemax. To handle the adaptation, script the pilot, and produce the show (should we get a greenlight), we've tapped a terrific talented young scriptwriter named Kalinda Vazquez, whose previous credits include work on Prison Break and Once Upon a Time. That was not an easy choice. Cinemax and my agents set me up for meetings with close to a dozen different TV writers, many of them very impressive, but Kalinda's take on the story and the characters blew me away. She loves the story and the world, and really seems to get Willie and Randi, and her pitch to Cinemax was one of the most polished and professional I've ever heard. I love her enthusiasm, and look forward to working with her. And no, while I would have loved to write the script and run the show myself myself, that was never really in the cards. I have this book to finish. You know the one. So... The Skin Trade... coming to your TV set, er, eventually. Maybe. Howl for it."

George R.R. Martin revealed that he had always envisioned The Skin Trade as a TV series, and that he actually tried to sell it as a TV series back in 1991. Deadline reports that George R.R. Martin and Kalinda Vazquez will executive produce with Vince Gerardis, Paul Sansone, Rich Angell, Mark B. Newbauer and Lizandro Cruz. Kalinda Vazquez's other credits include Human Target and Nikita. Are you looking forward to The Skin Trade?