'Game of Thrones' Creator Opens New Movie Studio
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- Last Updated: Thursday, 13 April 2017 22:50
- Written by Lupe R Haas
According to a report in the Albuquerque Journal, George R.R. Martin opened the non-profit Stagecoach Academy in a 30,000 square foot office and production facility several weeks ago, with the studio being open to both Hollywood filmmakers and first-time productions. Santa Fe mayor Javier Gonzalez told the publication that Martin’s vision is to “make this facility accessible and affordable” so filmmakers will have a space “where they can go and create.”
Before you start jumping to conclusions, however, it seems unlikely that the opening of the studio is any indication that GAME OF THRONES is set to receive a big-screen treatment anytime soon. Indeed, Martin is yet to even complete the “Song of Fire” and Ice series and has not penned a new entry since 2011, with fans concerned that the serial procrastinator’s involvement in this new project will push the publication date of The Winds of Winter back even further.
Rather than being the HQ for a movie adaptation of GAME OF THRONES, then, the studio will play host to a number of other filmmakers instead. According to local reports in Santa Fe, Joel and Ethan Coen, the directors of No Country for Old Men and True Grit, are expected to be amongst the first tenants to make use of Martin’s Stagecoach Academy’s facilities.
Martin’s involvement in the project does, however, once again raise the question of whether or not a GAME OF THRONES movie could even be a possibility several years down the line. Back in September 2015, the author took to his official blog to deny media reports that a film version of the fantasy series had been green-lighted, describing such stories as being “completely false”.
There’s no doubting that Martin has a heck of a lot on his plate. Along with his involvement in Stagecoach and the HBO series, GAME OF THRONES’s standing as a pop culture phenomenon has meant it’s spawned a number of related projects. Martin held talks with HBO late last year over a GAME OF THRONES TV show spinoff, while the series has also inspired a Microgaming-developed slot game. According to Online Casinos Canada’s review of the title, the 15-payline title includes the original theme song of the show, along with special symbols for each of Westeros’ four main houses: Stark, Baratheon, Targaryen and Lannister.
With a cameo appearance in the 2012 GAME OF THRONES video game and his personal assistant serving as story consultant on Telltale Games’ 2014 adaptation, Martin has been juggling multiple projects for years now: surely a GAME OF THRONES movie with his involvement would be a step too far at present?
For the time being, at least, Martin’s focus will be on ensuring that the Stagecoach Academy delivers on mayor Gonzalez’s hopes that it will be “a leading part of the work to make the Santa Fe film economy sustainable, turning jobs into careers.”
