Peter Dinklage is reportedly being eyed for a TV adaptation of popular sci-fi fantasy series The Beasts of Valhalla. At this point, it sounds like there has been some correspondence between the Game of Thrones star and Farscape writer Justin Monjo, who's developing the book for a pilot for HBO, and from what he says, HBO thinks Dinklage is "the perfect guy" for this role.
This report originated at IF.com.au, which states that Farscape writer Justin Monjo is working on a pilot for HBO with Ben Stiller's Red Hour Films, based on George C. Chesbro's The Beasts of Valhalla. According to Amazon's description of the book, Beasts blends sci-fi and fantasy with a classic detective style. Published in 1985, Beasts of Valhalla is the fourth book published in Chesbro's Mongo series.
From what IF reports, Monjo read the books years ago but wasn't able to come up with an actor suitable for the lead character, a sleuth named Mongo, until he saw Peter Dinklage play Tyrion in Game of Thrones. The actor is being eyed to star as "a dwarf detective" in the adaptation.
Though IF's article doesn't outright specify, Monjo is presumably the source of this information, as IF has a direct quote from the writer, who says, "HBO and Red Hour think he's the perfect guy for the part and are very excited about the project." The article goes on to state that Monjo is headed to New York next month to speak with Dinklage about this role.
You might be asking, but what about Game of Thrones? This next piece of information may or may not be a spoiler about Game of Thrones, I'm honestly not sure, even with what I know about what's ahead for Tyrion based on book intel, but it could be a clue about Tyrion/Dinklage's future on the series, so skip the rest of this paragraph if you want to avoid one potential spoiler about Game of Thrones, as the report mentions when HBO might want to put this project on the air, which might be a clue about Tyrion's fate. OK, that's your spoiler warning... IF's report states that the plan for this potential series would be to air it in 2016 "after Dinklage finishes with Game of Thrones." Maybe they mean after he finishes shooting that season, or maybe they mean Dinklage's schedule will be wide open after that season, which might not bode well for Tyrion.
It's all hypothetical at this point though, as this is the first we're hearing about this pilot to begin with, and it could be cast contingent. We may hear an update if and when Monjo sits with Dinklage to discuss the project. But looking at the potential series optimistically, regardless of Tyrion's fate on Game of Thrones in the near or distant future, it would be pretty fantastic to see Dinklage sticking around HBO for a drama that put him front and center. So we'll have to keep an ear out for any updates on this project. In the meantime, Game of Thrones fans will see Dinklage back on the small screen soon enough, as the fantasy drama returns to HBO for Season 4 on Sunday, April 6. Watch the Ice And Fire: A Foreshadowing 15-minute preview here and enjoy Dinklage's amazing dance moves...
