George R.R. Martin’s Forgotten 90s Sci-Fi Series Before Game of Thrones

Renowned for creating the captivating “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, George R.R. Martin has enchanted audiences with its adaptation, HBO’s blockbuster “Game of Thrones.” adding to this fantastical universe, the prequel “House of the dragon” and the delightful “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” have expanded Martin’s reach on television. Though, fans of Westeros might potentially be intrigued to learn that Martin once penned a science fiction series for ABC in the early ’90s called “doorways.” Although a full-length pilot was produced, the network ultimately decided against moving forward with the series.

The pilot of “Doorways” kicks off with a baffling incident involving a woman named Cat (Anne le Guernec), who appears out of nowhere on a highway, leading to a dramatic crash. She is afterward hospitalized and falls under the care of Dr. Thomas Mason (George Newbern). As the FBI takes an interest in Cat, she begins an adventure across parallel Earths with Mason, all the while fleeing from a lethal entity known as Thane (Robert Knepper).Time is of the essence for Cat, as she must pass through portals, termed “doors,” to escape Thane’s pursuit. Notably, Carrie-Anne Moss, prior to her fame in “The Matrix,” features as Mason’s girlfriend, Laura.

George R.R. Martin’s earlier television endeavors frequently enough delved into science fiction, drawing experience from his work on the ’80s revival of “The Twilight Zone” and the cyberpunk satire “Max Headroom.” “Doorways” was poised to follow this trajectory. Had ABC continued with the project, it might have altered the course of Martin’s career, possibly impacting the creation of “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Reflecting on this, Martin shared on his blog how he had just begun writing the series’ first book when the call from Hollywood arrived. “By the time I landed at LAX I had the idea that became ‘Doorways,’” he recounted.