George R.R. Martin Wants Guillermo del Toro to Direct His Vampire Novel He Wrote Before Game of Thrones

After the success of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, directors and producers know better than to critique the work of George R.R. Martin. Moreover, looking at the profits they have garnered, people from the industry are clamoring to adapt more of Martin’s books and stories that can enchant the audience with their otherworldly nuances.

Another one of Martin’s books is already under production and will premiere on HBO soon enough. Titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the show follows Egg and Dunk’s journey as they meet and traverse through various lands that intrigue them. At the same time, Martin is already planning on adapting another one of his works and he has an eye on one Academy Award-winning actor to direct it.

George R.R. Martin plans to adapt Fevre Dream with Guillermo del Toro

There is no questioning George R.R. Martin’s ability to conjure unique worlds and characters that transport the viewers from reality to a brilliant fictitious world. His mind churns out stories that have no grounding in reality as they revel in their fantastical aspects including magical spells and dragons. However, there’s one other book by Martin that takes the supernatural elements to another level with inclusion of Vampires and Vampire hunters.

Titled Fevre Dream, Martin penned this story back in 1982, years before his blockbuster series A Song of Ice and Fire debuted. Martin loves the book and wishes to adapt it for the screen. Apparently, the writer has already met with the one director he wishes to have on board for Fevre Dream – Guillermo del Toro. In a conversation with Winter is Coming, Martin revealed,

I’ve had meetings with Guillermo del Toro about Fevre Dream. He loves it, he says he wants to do it…but he doesn’t want to do it now. He always has this project first and that project first, and then this other project. But eventually he’ll do Fevre Dream, if he lives that long and I live that long and movies live that long, I don’t know… I think Fevre Dream would be great.

Even though an attempt was made in the past, it fell through, and the rights of the project remain with Martin to date. The book marked Martin’s foray into the metaphysical world that forgets the rules of reality. Set in the 1800s, Fevre Dream revolves around Abner Marsh and Joshua York who meet under mysterious circumstances only for Marsh to find out that York is a Vampire hunter.

Who will star in Fevre Dream?

Martin does not just have a director in mind for the movie, but also an actor. He wishes actor Ron Perlman to star as Abner Marsh, a steamboat captain who finds York and becomes business partners with him. The story is set on the Mississippi River with most scenes taking place on a boat. Martin shared,

We wanna star Ron Perlman, we’ve even cast it! My friend Ron Perlman as Abner Marsh. Ron wants to do it. Everybody wants to do it, all we need is $100 million.

It seems like the entire plan to bring Fevre Dream to life has been charted in Martin’s mind. With a director, an actor, and a budget for the project already in his mind, it’s hard to understand what’s stopping them from bringing it all together. Perhaps after Martin finishes The Winds of Winter to many fans’ relief, he frees up more time to focus on other projects.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is set to release on June 15, 2025.