George R.R. Martin says his deal with HBO is suspended, leaving more time to (not) finish The Winds Of Winter

Martin revealed in a blog post that his 5-year deal with HBO was suspended due to the ongoing strike

By Emma Keates | July 24, 2023 | 6:44pm

Aux News George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin says his deal with HBO is suspended, leaving more time to (not) finish The Winds Of Winter

George R.R. Martin Photo: Kevin Winter

It isn’t all that surprising that George R.R. Martin—author of a sprawling epic denouncing the corrupting influence of unregulated power—would come out so strongly in favor of the historic double strike between the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. (At least, that’s how we hope the books turn out. It’s a real shame the show got canceled just before it could deliver what was sure to be a stunning and perfect ending, right?)

It’s also not remotely surprising that Martin seems… not all that put out about having even less writing on his plate moving forward. In a lengthy blog post, the author and producer revealed that the 5-year deal he inked with HBO in 2021 was “suspended” on June 1 as a result of the walkout. As a reminder for those who may have forgotten in the wake of House Of The Dragon being actually good, HBO also announced approximately 782 other Game Of Thrones spin-offs around the same time, in order for the streamer to really squeeze that iron bank for all its worth and for GRRM to engage in his favorite pastime: namely, writing any sort of Westerosi lore that doesn’t actually involve the characters his fans already know and love.

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These shows included the tightly-named A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight (NOT Tales Of Dunk & Egg as it’s often referred to by fans, per an emphatic reminder from the man himself), something called 9 Voyages, at least three animated series (as of 2021), and the Kit Harrington’s much-discussed Jon Snow spinoff—although it sounds like GRRM didn’t have much to do with that. The futures of all these projects are now in question. (A representative from HBO did not immediately respond to The A.V. Club’s request for comment.)

Martin also gives small updates on his other projects in the blog, although he spends the majority championing the strike (“the most important of my lifetime”) and slamming AMPTP for their abhorrent tactics that he anticipates will make the process “long and bitter.”

The second season of AMC’s Dark Winds (which he produces) wrapped before the strike and will premiere on July 30 as planned. The author also confirmed previous announcements that House Of The Dragon would continue to film overseas. As for the big one? He’s really, truly writing it, he swears.

“Yes, yes, of course, I’ve been working on WINDS OF WINTER. Almost every day. Writing, rewriting, editing, writing some more. Making steady progress,” he said. “Not as fast as I would like… certainly not as fast as YOU would like… but progress nonetheless.”