That Time George R.R. Martin Played Himself – As a Zombie – In This Horror TV Series

by

Among dedicated fans of “Game of Thrones” for quite some time now, it’s become a running joke of sorts, an expression of quiet endurance, that the author George R.R. Martin might never fully wrap up the unwritten fantasy books in his highly successful “A Song of Ice and Fire” series – the books he had once pledged to complete!

Martin himself has written extensively about the numerous factors causing the delay in publishing The Winds of Winter, the next book in the series. However, let’s consider a more amusing (and perhaps less likely) scenario: what if he were mysteriously transformed into a catatonic zombie writer in some alternate campy horror universe, unable to pen any new work ever again?

For More on Horror

Is it True That The Goonies and Gremlins Share the Same Story World? Here’s a Layman’s Guide to the Theory

Joe Dante, Director of Gremlins, Hints at Potential Crossover with The Goonies

Unraveling the Final Scene of Wolf Man: A Simple Breakdown

The Z Nation cameo where George R.R. Martin played his own zombie doppelgänger

about:blank

Martin’s writing abilities seemed to significantly decline during his guest spot on SYFY’s series, Z Nation – a humorous, occasionally eerie post-apocalyptic horror-comedy that spanned five seasons from 2014 to 2018. Despite being known for taking things in stride with his highly recognized persona, Martin graciously participated in a brief yet amusing role on the series, portraying (predictably) a zombified version of himself – a character who was just as likely to consume a good book as read it.

In the eighth episode of Season 2 in the show “Z Nation,” titled “The Collector,” Alvin Murphy (Keith Allan) teamed up with a unique survivor known as “The Collector” (Tom Beyer). This man, living through the zombie apocalypse, harbored fantastical delusions about capturing famous individuals who had turned into the undead. He kept them in his personal collection, which he called a museum, and profited from their celebrity status.

Confined within a room filled with towering bookshelves in one of The Collector’s museum exhibits, a wan, lifeless imitation of Martin—wearing his trademark glasses and cap—is compelled to sit motionlessly in an office chair. The Collector demands that Martin sign countless copies of his latest popular book, humorously named “A Promise of Spring.

When The Collector visits Murphy, he demonstrates his well-known former human captive: “I was at the previous Comic-Con when things took a turn,” he brags. “…A filthy man with a crossbow attempted to aid George in his escape. He met an unfortunate end. I assisted George and his group in escaping – but they didn’t survive without proper accommodations!

While Martin’s undead counterpart remains motionless in his office chair, making groaning sounds and exhibiting convincingly eerie zombie energy, it’s evident that the old writing habits of this undead individual are stubbornly persistent. Even as a zombie, Martin reflexively grabs one of his books when The Collector throws it on the desk, then starts signing it, despite the fact that he holds his pen with a claw-like grip and is incapable of writing coherent sentences, given his current state of existence.

He possesses extraordinary muscle memory from decades of autographing books, it’s second nature to him!” The Collector says gleefully, hinting at future profits when eBay returns post-apocalypse, as he plans to auction off his collection of authentic zombie-Martin signed editions.

Murphy, apparently unfamiliar with Martin’s identity (perhaps he wasn’t deeply invested in Game of Thrones!), found himself being asked by The Collector to employ his supposedly undisclosed zombie mind-control technique. The intention was to motivate the once-great author to complete his current unfinished 800-page opus: “Perhaps you can use your mind trick, and assist him in finishing his next manuscript!

Murphy, with little enthusiasm, wonders if it’s any good,” says The Collector, though he doesn’t seem to care about quality himself. In response, he muses, “I was contemplating writing ‘The End’ on the final page. But in the next book, we’ll see everyone meet their demise!

The foolish incident comes to an end once the men depart (although Martin doesn’t leave until he attempts a large, ravenous bite out of one of his own books – cover included. As they leisurely make their way towards The Collector’s next zombie-fied celebrity exhibit, however, Murphy experiences a sudden burst of creativity, grabbing a book from Martin’s endless pile of “A Promise of Spring” and striking The Collector squarely in the face with it. Well, that annoying man won’t be bothering us anymore – crisis averted!

Martin has made humorous, self-referential appearances not just in Z Nation, but also in other SYFY projects. One such instance was in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No (2015), where he comically lost his head in a grisly yet amusing scene that humorously referenced Ned Stark’s beheading in Game of Thrones’ first season.

Read More

2025-02-21 01:01