The Hollywood Reporter has reported that HBO has approved a pilot of a television fantasy series based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling "A Song of Fire & Ice" series. Martin has written four books in the series’ expected seven books with the fifth expected out next year. If the pilot is successful they plan to use televise one novel per season.
As noted in the story, unlike fantasy movies such as Lord of the Rings, making a series based on A Song of Fire & Ice may not be that expensive. There is very little magic used or magical creatures seen and the characters mainly do not participate in battles but are affected by their outcomes. In fact most sets could be borrowed from The Tudors.
Martin was also one of the editors of the "Wild Cards" anthology series that deal with an alternate America in which a number of people were affected by an alien virus released in 1946. Most people infected died - 'drawing the Black Queen' , 9% mutate into deformed creatures known as 'Jokers and the remaining 1% gain superpowers making them Aces.
If Heroes had not come out first this would have made a good series. Maybe it will in a few years.