Stephen Colbert to Adapt George R.R. Martin’s Favorite Fantasy Series for TV

Late-night host Stephen Colbert has decided to adapt one of George R.R. Martin’s all-time favorite fantasy book series for television.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Colbert’s production company Spartina has teamed up with Skybound Entertainment and Vincent Newman Entertainment to develop a TV series based on Roger Zelazny’s The Chronicles of Amber — a fantasy series, first published in 1970.

The story follows Corwin, a young man “who awakens on Earth with no memory, but soon finds he is a prince of a royal family that has the ability to travel through different dimensions of reality (called ‘shadows’) and rules over the one true world, Amber.”

For years, fantasy author Martin has expressed his desire for the series to be adapted for the screen. He explained in a blog post as recently as October that he would like to see more fantasy on TV, noting the potential surrounding the first novel in Zelazny’s ten-book series.

“I want more fantasy on television,” he declared. “I want Roger Zelazny’s Nine Princes in Amber. I will never understand why Corwin and his siblings are not starring in their own show. And hey, if epic fantasy continues to do well, maybe we will finally get that. A boy can dream.”

Martin is not involved in the project, and no writers are attached to the adaptation yet, but Colbert is determined to bring the fantasy world of Amber to life. He will also need to find a distributor for the series, though his production company has a first-look deal with CBS.

“George R.R. Martin and I have similar dreams,” Colbert shared. “I’ve carried the story of Corwin in my head for over 40 years, and I’m thrilled to partner with Skybound and Vincent Newman to bring these worlds to life. All roads lead to Amber, and I’m happy to be walking them.”

Meanwhile, Martin is busy tackling multiple projects of his own, including his next novel The Winds of Winter, the second season of House of the Dragon, and several other Game of Thrones successor shows, though he has confirmed that a few of those have now been “shelved.”

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Cover image credit: CBS Photo Archive / Contributor.