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George R.R. Martin Won't Write For Game of Thrones Spin-Off (Yet)
Even as George R.R. Martin celebrated the announcement of the new Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon, he also promised fans that he would not write for the show until Winds of Winter is completed. As fans of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series know all too well, Martin has been working on Winds of Winter, the sixth novel in the series, since 2011 (the first Game of Thrones book was released in 1996). For context, fans have been waiting for the book since the first season of Game of Thrones debuted.
HBO Max recently announced that it will move ahead with the first confirmed Game of Thrones spin-off series, House of the Dragon. The prequel series will follow the rise of House Targaryen 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. HBO Max has given the green light for a full-season order of 10 episodes. Miguel Sapochnik, the award-winning director responsible for some of the show's most memorable episodes, will work as a showrunner on House of the Dragon alongside writer Ryan Condal.
On his official Not a Blog website, Martin has promised fans that he will not do any writing for House of the Dragon until he has finished working on Winds of Winter. After congratulating Condal and Sapochnik on their new gigs as House of the Dragon showrunners, Martin once again reassured fans that he is hard at work on Winds of Winter. And until that book has been delivered to the publisher, HBO will have to write their Game of Thrones spin-off without Martin's help.
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I expect to be involved in all of this to some extent… and, who knows, if things work out, I may even be able to script a few episodes, as I did for the first four seasons of GAME OF THRONES. But... let me make this perfectly clear... I am not taking on any scripts until I have finished and delivered WINDS OF WINTER. Winter is still coming, and WINDS remains my priority, as much as I’d love to write an episodes of HOUSE.
The Game of Thrones fandom is starkly divided over Martin's writing pace. On one side of the controversy, angry fans believe that Martin has an obligation to his readers to deliver the next book as soon as possible. Since writing A Song of Ice and Fire books is literally Martin's job -- a job that has brought him untold fame and fortune in recent years -- these fans believe Martin should finish the series at all costs. However, other fans believe that the author has a right to his own creative process. On this side of the debate, Martin has received support from other big-name writers like Neil Gaiman. Thanks in large part to HBO's hugely popular Game of Thrones series, Martin has become one of the most successful authors in the world. Indeed, besides J.K. Rowling and Stephen King, Martin is one of the only celebrity writers in the world right now.
Of course, that also means that Martin faces a lot of pressure to satisfy fans with his next Game of Thrones novel. Readers have been waiting many years for the book to be released, and rumors about a potential Winds of Winter release date are constantly swirling in the fandom. So far, Martin has offered no new updates on a release timeline, but his latest assurances should give readers some comfort. That being said, it is entirely possible that House of the Dragon will be released before readers get their hands on Winds of Winter.
