Game Of Thrones: The Reason HBO Just Suspended Its Deal With George R. R. Martin
Over the years, George R.R. Martin and HBO have enjoyed a mutually beneficial working relationship. “Game of Thrones” — a television adaptation of Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series — became nothing short of a cultural phenomenon during its eight seasons on the air, and the ongoing prequel “House of the Dragon” is doing well with viewers in its own right. Despite all of that success, Martin’s deal with HBO has recently been suspended due to ongoing industry strikes, which the author has addressed on his blog that he insists is not a blog.
His July 22 entry gives an update on “House of the Dragon” Season 2 amid the Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strikes, confirming reports that the series is continuing production. This is possible since the scripts are long finished and the production is based in the United Kingdom and most of the actors and crew members are part of a different union, Equity. “As for me personally, my overall deal with HBO was suspended on June 1,” Martin wrote.
Even as the strikes press on, it appears that Martin plans to keep busy with various other ventures outside of his halted collaborations with HBO.
Martin still has quite a bit on his plate
With his work at HBO on ice for the time being, George R.R. Martin is filling his schedule with various other creative endeavors. As he says in his blog post, he and his team are currently hard at work developing the stage production “The Iron Throne,” which has been in development for a few years at this point. He adds that the scripts are coming along well and that he’s excited about the future of the project. Martin is also making progress on his next “Wild Cards” titles, “Sleeper Straddle” and “House Rules.”
Of course, with his HBO work on hold, “Game of Thrones” fans are quick to ask the big question: is Martin taking some time to chip away at “The Winds of Winter,” the long-awaited next book in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” saga that he’s famously taking forever to release? Martin provided those curious about his progress on the book with a positive update. “Almost every day. Writing, rewriting, editing, writing some more. Making steady progress. Not as fast as I would like.. .certainly not as fast as YOU would like… but progress nonetheless,” he said.
Thus, it’s plain to see that George R.R. Martin is still an incredibly busy man even if his television efforts with HBO are on the backburner for the time being.
