A legendary author meets a legendary creature
George R.R. Martin, the acclaimed author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series that inspired HBO’s Game of Thrones, has played a pivotal role in the groundbreaking project to bring back the long-extinct dire wolf.
As both a cultural advisor and an investor, Martin was part of the initiative led by Colossal Biosciences and recently had the opportunity to meet the first dire wolf pups in thousands of years.
In a blog post, Martin expressed his excitement about witnessing the species’ return and revealed how difficult it had been to keep the news under wraps.
“I’ve been holding my tongue for months now, sworn to silence yet dying to tell the world. Pardon my shouting, but… THE DIREWOLF IS BACK…” he wrote on Facebook, dubbing April 7 as “Direwolf Day.”
A call from Peter Jackson led R.R. Martin to the project
Martin’s involvement in the de-extinction effort began after a call from filmmaker Peter Jackson, who urged him to speak with entrepreneur Ben Lamm, co-founder of Colossal Biosciences. Lamm and his team, which includes renowned geneticists George Church and Beth Shapiro, have been at the forefront of using genetic technology to bring back extinct species.
“Extinct for more than ten thousand years, but extinct no longer, thanks to Ben Lamm, George Church, Beth Shapiro, and the rest of their team of mad scientists at Colossal,” Martin wrote, celebrating the ambitious scientific achievement.
Game of Thrones author meets real-life dire wolves
Dire wolves, famously known as the sigil of House Stark in Game of Thrones, have long fascinated fans of Martin’s books. His influence on pop culture made him a natural choice for the team at Colossal, who sought his insight during their genetic engineering process.
When the dire wolf pups were finally born, Martin was invited to meet them. At a private preserve, he was introduced to two of the first resurrected pups, Romulus and Remus, named after the legendary twin founders of Rome.
To commemorate the historic moment, a photo shoot was arranged featuring the pups posing on the Iron Throne—an iconic 330-pound prop on loan from Peter Jackson himself.
“I met them all in February, in… well, that would be telling,” Martin teased in his blog. “And I met Romulus and Remus too. Here’s me and Romulus. (Or maybe Remus. They’re twins, and hard to tell apart).”
Emotional moment for Martin as science revives an ancient legend
According to Lamm, Martin was deeply moved when he first saw the dire wolf pups in person. “I did fly George out to meet the wolves, and he cried! He completely cried. He said this was like one of the greatest things that he’s ever seen,” Lamm told CBR.
In their early days, the dire wolf pups behaved like ordinary puppies, playful and curious. However, as they grew, their natural instincts began to emerge.
“They’re getting to the point that I wouldn’t try to pet them or anything anymore,” Lamm added, acknowledging their transition into wild behavior.
Bringing back an extinct species: How it was done
The resurrection of the dire wolf was made possible by extracting genetic material from ancient fossils, including a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull. Scientists then combined this DNA with the genome of a modern gray wolf to create a genetically viable hybrid, successfully bringing the dire wolf back from extinction.
As Colossal pushes forward with its ambitious de-extinction projects, the return of the dire wolf marks a significant milestone in genetic science—one that brings both excitement and caution, with experts warning of potential risks akin to a Jurassic Park-like scenario.
For now, Martin and millions of fans around the world can celebrate the fact that a creature once thought lost to history has returned, thanks to the intersection of science, storytelling, and innovation.