With Game of Thrones now agonizingly close to returning to our screens, it looks as if another George R.R. Martin-guided series is on the way to the small screen in the future.

Courtesy of Variety, HBO is currently in early development on an adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s novel Who Fears Death, with Martin on board as an executive producer. Okorafor herself confirmed the news on Twitter, as below:

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. pic.twitter.com/POF7Dj2hWP

— Nnedi Okorafor, PhD (@Nnedi) July 10, 2017

At this stage, HBO has yet to comment and the deal is believed to be close but not yet officially closed.

The official synopsis for the award-winning Who Fears Death reads:

In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways; yet in one region genocide between tribes still bloodies the land. A woman who has survived the annihilation of her village and a terrible rape by an enemy general wanders into the desert, hoping to die. Instead, she gives birth to an angry baby girl with hair and skin the color of sand. Gripped by the certainty that her daughter is different–special–she names her Onyesonwu, which means “Who fears death?” in an ancient language. 

It doesn’t take long for Onye to understand that she is physically and socially marked by the circumstances of her conception. She is Ewu–a child of rape who is expected to live a life of violence, a half-breed rejected by her community. But Onye is not the average Ewu. Even as a child, she manifests the beginnings of a remarkable and unique magic. As she grows, so do her abilities, and during an inadvertent visit to the spirit realm, she learns something terrifying: someone powerful is trying to kill her. 

Desperate to elude her would-be murderer and to understand her own nature, she embarks on a journey in which she grapples with nature, tradition, history, true love, and the spiritual mysteries of her culture, and ultimately learns why she was given the name she bears: Who Fears Death.

As ever, expect more on all of this as we get it.

Back in 2012, a little web series called Twisted Showcase debuted and soon started to make some serious waves online. So much so, the show would garner huge acclaim and be recognised on The Guardian’s Top 25 Must Watch Web Shows list. And now, you finally have your chance to pick up the show’s three seasons of sinister fun on DVD.

Considering that said Guardian list also included the likes of huge hitters like Joss Whedon, Seth MacFarlane, Zack Galifianakis, and Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer, that should give you an idea of just how well thought of Twisted Showcase is. Here at Moonbase Alpha, we’ve been big supporters of the work of creative duo Robin Bell and Rhys Jones, and there’s so much in Twisted Showcase for genre fans to sink their teeth into.

So, the exciting news is that you can now own all of the delicious and demented Twisted Showcase goodness to watch over and over again, with the DVD of Series 1 – 3 now available to pre-order ahead of a September release. The cost for UK residents is £15, while overseas customers can pick up the DVD for £22 to take into account additional shipping costs.

In addition to this, all money raised from sales will be reinvested to help fund some new Twisted Showcase action, plus if the pre-order numbers get to a certain level then a special bonus disc will be included with the release.

On this news, co-creator Robin Bell explained to us, “You can chronicle the disintegrating state of my mind of the last six years with this DVD. Three whole series, sixteen standalone stories, and there is probably not a moment of sanity throughout. But, that’s what makes it a treat to delve into. Don’t believe me, well The Guardian liked it, naming it in their Top 25 Web TV Shows and calling it a mix of Michael Haneke and The League of Gentlemen. Funds will go into an interesting spin-off series of one-minute horror films as well, so you’re not only getting a quality DVD, you’re helping some more cool stuff get made.”

Just in case you’ve never had the dark and eerie delight of Twisted Showcase – or you just fancy a quick refresher – be sure to check out the below sizzle reel for this hotly-anticipated release:

To pre-order your copy of Twisted Showcase: Series 1 – 3, head on over to twistedshowcase.com now.

In some news that has us all kinds of excited, the Horror Master himself, John Carpenter, is developing new horror content for Universal and Syfy.

Universal Cable Productions broke the news, with it announced that the legendary Carpenter has signed on to executive produce new scripted programming for UCP for what’s dubbed the ‘NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment portfolio’.

On the news, Carpenter himself enthused, “I’m excited to part with Universal Cable Productions on this venture into television. On one hand it’s a return home to Universal where I have fond memories, and on the other it’s a step into the future with great new creative partners in programming.”

At this early stage, it’s already been confirmed that the iconic director of horror classics such as Halloween, The Fog and The Thing is currently working on Tales for a Halloween Night for the Syfy network and also on a Nightside series.

Longtime fans of Carpenter will be well familiar with Tales for a Halloween Night, the fantastic graphic novel property currently at two volumes and with a Volume 3 arriving this October. In those award-winning books, Carpenter teams with several writers and artists to deliver an anthology collection of terrifying, twisted tales in the vein of the classic horror comics of yesteryear. Where the live-action adaptation of Tales for a Halloween Night is concerned, the search is on for a writer for this series at this point.

As for Nightside, Carpenter and UCP are already at work on developing that as a live-action series. Nightside itself is a literary series by Simon R. Green that’s set in a London that has creatures, mysteries and underground indulgencies lurking in its shadows. Scream: The TV Series’ Jill Blotevogel has been hired to write the script for this one.

All of this, of course, is in addition to Carpenter currently involved in the upcoming Halloween reboot, where he is working as an executive producer and consultant, as well as previously teasing that he may score the film, too.

As ever, expect more on all of this as we get it.

Following the trend of adding familiar Super-faces to its ranks, The CW’s Supergirl has moved to bring in Erica Durance ahead of its upcoming third season.

Deadline broke the news, with Durance familiar to many a genre fan for playing Lois Lane in Smallville. In Supergirl, Durance will actually take over an existing role, stepping in to replace Laura Benanti as the Kryptonian mother of Melissa Benoist’s titular Maid of Might, Alura Zor-El.

Producer Andrew Kreisberg explained, “Unfortunately Laura, who Greg [Berlanti] and I have worked with for years going back to Eli Stone, was unable to continue in the role due to work commitments in NY. But we are so blessed that Erica has come aboard to offer her own interpretation of Kara’s mother. We had tremendous success with a former Lois Lane last season with Teri Hatcher. We know Erica will continue the proud tradition of legacy actors joining our shows and creating new and exciting takes on classic DC characters.”

As well as Teri Hatcher having played the ‘big bad’ of Season 2, the series has also featured former Superman Dean Cain and former Supergirl Helen Slater in pivotal roles as Kara’s Earth parents, not to mention former Wonder Woman Lynda Carter as the President of the United States.

Supergirl returns for its third season later this year.

With FOX’s The Exorcist recently confirmed for a second season, now comes news on a big name addition for the series.

As per The Wrap, John Cho has joined the series in the role of Andrew Kim, “a former child psychologist who runs a foster home on a private island off the coast of Seattle. When a child under Andrew’s purview succumbs to a dangerous force, Father Tomas Ortega and Father Bennett set out to face the villainy head on”. Cho, of course, is famous to genre fans for his role as Sulu in the current cinematic incarnation of Star Trek.

Cho joins the returning Alfonso Herrera as Father Ortega and Kurt Egyiawan as Father Bennett. As for other returning names, it was recently revealed that Herrera and Egyiawan will be joined by Ben Daniels’ Father Marcus, although it seems Marcus has left his collar behind by the time the new season begins. The Rance family, however, will not be returning at this stage but the idea of them returning further down the line hasn’t been ruled out if and as the show continues past its second season. 

Season 2 of The Exorcist is set to premiere on Friday, September 29th.