Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor’s wildly successful science fiction novel Who Fears Death will be hitting the small screen soon.
Okorafor (pictured above) announced that her book was in early development with HBO to be a series via social media on Monday. Bonus: George R.R. Martin, the man behind Games of Thrones, will be the project’s executive producer.
“My novel WHO FEARS DEATH has been optioned by @HBO & is now in early development as a TV series with George RR Martin as executive producer,” she said.
The novel, which was released in 2010, is set in a post-apocalyptic Sudan where the light-skinned Nuru people oppress the dark-skinned Okeke. Onyesonwu (which means “Who fears death?” in Igbo), the protagonist, is the product of rape by her Nunu father of her Okeke mother. She soon discovers she has magical powers and is being targeted for death.
“As a Nigerian-American, born and raised in the United States, what distanced me from science fiction novels early on was feeling that I was not a part of the stories; I didn’t exist in them,” Okorafor wrote in a blog post. “I suspect the same can be said for many African writers who might consider writing science fiction.”
“As African consumers sample the few works out available, their palettes will grow accustomed to and hopefully even crave homegrown African-rooted science fiction. It’s only a matter of time. I can imagine what will come next.”
As noted by Variety, sources say the deal is not officially closed. HBO declined to comment.