George R.R. Martin is best known for his Game of Thrones world, but the new film Mickey 17 proves that there’s potential for his original shared universe. Bong Joon-ho, the Oscar-winning mastermind behind Parasite, has received critical acclaim for his new movie, which is among the most exciting new releases of 2025. Mickey 17 is out in theaters, and the Robert Pattinson-starring film has already received praise for its clash of genres, blending science fiction with dark comedy.
Mickey 17 is based on the book Mickey7, which was released in 2022 and written by Edward Ashton. The novel already has a sequel available, and with a popular new film based on it, it will likely be regarded as one of the decade’s premier sci-fi titles sooner rather than later. Mickey 17’s story follows a man named Mickey Barnes who takes on the job of an “Expendable,” a man whose body can be regenerated after death with an upload of his memories and consciousness.
George R.R. Martin’s Thousand Worlds Universe Was A Major Inspiration Behind Mickey7
Edward Ashton Cited It As One Of His Primary Influences
George R.R. Martin has become one of the most famous authors in the world for being the author behind A Song of Ice & Fire, the book series Game of Thrones was based on. However, his career in writing began long before his most well-known series, with his debut novel, Dying of the Light, being released in 1977. Even before that, he had several works of short fiction, including A Song for Lya, which earned the Hugo Award in 1975. Both of the aforementioned stories are part of a shared universe called “Thousand Worlds.”
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I Can’t Believe How Much Bong Joon-ho Changed Mickey 17 From The Book
Mickey 17 changes an extraordinary number of characters & plot details, making it difficult to call the movie a true adaption of its source material.
Sandkings, Nightflyers, and Tuf Voyaging are among other titles connected in this universe, and while they don’t have much of an overarching narrative, the common themes, world-building elements, and beautiful storytelling make them a rich set of texts to dive into. In an interview with Nerdist in 2022, Edward Ashton cited Martin’s “Thousand Worlds” universe as one of the primary inspirations for his science fiction career.
The Thousand Worlds Universe Launched GRRM’s Career Two Decades Before ASOIAF
This Was GRRM’s First Sprawling Universe
Long before George R.R. Martin was as famous as he is today, he was an aspiring writer in the 1970s, making his way with short works of science fiction published in various magazine publications. Dying of the Light was his first full-length novel in 1977 and the only novel to be part of his “Thousand Worlds” universe. In fact, before A Game of Thrones in 1996, he only wrote three full-length novels in nearly three decades of his career. He often cites that 1983’s The Armageddon Rag almost destroyed his career, and he didn’t publish another for 13 years after.
For anyone who loves Martin’s work or enjoyed Mickey7, these books and short stories are a must-read and don’t require as much dedication as ASOIAF.
Without the “Thousand Worlds” universe, there would be no A Song of Ice & Fire and no Game of Thrones. It may not have the notoriety or expansive, connective history as his fantasy world, but it’s filled with similarly beautiful themes, vibrant imagery, and more. For anyone who loves Martin’s work or enjoyed Mickey7, these books and short stories are a must-read and don’t require as much dedication as ASOIAF.
Though it was a popular theory for a long time, GRRM has confirmed that ASOIAF is not part of the “Thousand Worlds” universe.
Why Thousand Worlds Would Make For An Amazing Movie Series
These Are Brilliant & Imaginative Works Of Science Fiction
Unlike A Song of Ice & Fire, which couldn’t really work in movies due to length, the stories of “Thousand Worlds” could be excellent in film if handled by the right creative team. 2025’s In the Lost Lands is based on another work of Martin’s short fiction, but Screen Rant’s review wasn’t unique in its harsh critique. Adapting short stories into films can work, however, and the benefit of “Thousand Worlds” is that it could have some of the intrigue of A Song of Ice & Fire in a much more compact space.
Stories like Dying of the Light are not only deeply imaginative, complex works of science fiction, but they also have notable similarities to the worlds of Dune and Star Wars, titles that have already proven successful in movies. In recent years, Dune has often been described as Game of Thrones in space, but there’s nothing closer to this description than the stories written by George R.R. Martin that are set in space. Martin’s “Thousand Worlds” universe could be exactly what Game of Thrones fans are looking for as a replacement.
Mickey 17 Proves That Thousand Worlds Could Work As A Movie Universe
These Stories Share Similar World-Building Elements
Mickey 17 is just one of numerous science fiction films that have similarities to “Thousand Worlds.” On the matter of the similarities between his story and Martin’s sci-fi, Ashton said, “They are set in this sort of far future universe that bears some similarities to the universe that Mickey inhabits. There are a number of different colony worlds. They relate to one another in different ways.” Mickey 17 is just a demo of a vast sci-fi universe that explores the possibility of a distant future where humanity has left Earth behind and is struggling to find its place in the universe.
Mickey 17 is, of course, a far more comedic story than anything George R.R. Martin has written, but a huge component of what makes the film so enjoyable is the world-building aspects and narrative ingenuities. This isn’t just a sci-fi blockbuster; Ashton’s story embraces the core of great sci-fi in a similar way to what made authors like Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Ursula K. Le Guin, and more so prolific. Mickey 17 has its differences to its source material, but at the end of the day, it’s quintessential science fiction.
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What GRRM Has Said About An Adaptation Of His Thousand Worlds Universe
Nightflyers Is The Only Title That Has Been Adapted
Technically, there have been two George R.R. Martin adaptations based on the “Thousand Worlds” universe, both of which were based on the novella Nightflyers. One was a 1987 film, and the other was a 2018 TV series, though neither of which were very well-made or memorable. Neither production attempted to expand into a larger universe, especially since the craze for doing so is a relatively recent concept.
As for adaptations of Dying of the Light or any of the other short stories and novellas, George R.R. Martin hasn’t mentioned anything in recent years about the possibility. He still keeps tabs on his own work and recently helped develop a graphic novel adaptation of Tuf Voyaging. Perhaps, if Mickey 17 ends up being a success, something like Dying of the Light or Tuf Voyaging could find its way to becoming a feature film.
Sources: Nerdist
Mickey 17
8/10
- Release Date
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March 25, 2025