‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff Officially on Hold

It’s a great time to be a Game of Thrones fan, but the WGA writers’ strike means that fans are going to need to have a little patience. Back in April, HBO officially ordered another Game of Thrones spinoff – an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s novella series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. However, last month Martin confirmed that the production is on hold as long as the Writers Guild of America remains on strike.

Martin is best known for writing the fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire which was adapted into Game of Thrones, as well as companion books that are now being adapted into shows like House of the Dragon. However, Martin also wrote for TV in the 1980s, and last month he made a blog post voicing his support for the WGA strike. That came with the news that his latest show with the working title A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, is on hold. 

“The writer’s room on A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS: THE HEDGE KNIGHT has closed for the duration [of the strike],” Martin wrote. “[Showrunner] Ira Parker and his incredible staff of young talents are on the picket lines.”

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight will be an adaptation of Martin’s novella series commonly referred to by fans as “Tales of Dunk & Egg.” There are three of these novellas so far, collected in one book called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, while the first novella is titled “The Hedge Knight.” They are set about 90 years before the events of A Game of Thrones and tell the story of a poor but chivalrous knight named Ser Duncan the Tall who takes on a squire named Egg – a runaway Targaryen prince. They travel Westeros together seeking honest work as champions of the common people, never realizing that eventually, the laws of succession will make Egg into King Aegon V Targaryen.

As for House of the Dragon, there were mixed feelings early in the strike when Variety reported that work on the show would continue, and that showrunner Ryan Condal would remain on set without conducting any writing duties, as the WGA guidelines demand. Martin addressed that too, and his commentary may put fans at ease.

“Across the ocean, the second season of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON started filming April 11 and will continue in London and Wales,” he wrote. “The scripts for the eight [Season 2] episodes were all finished months ago, long before the strike began. Every episode has gone through four or five drafts and numerous rounds of revisions, to address HBO notes, my notes, budget concerns, etc. There will be no further revisions. The writers have done their jobs; the rest is in the hands of the directors, cast and crew… and of course the dragons.”

Finally, Martin delivered the best news of all – his continued progress on his long-awaited book The Winds of Winter. He wrote that, while screenwriters are on strike, authors, editors, and playwrights can continue unhampered. “I have ongoing projects in all of those areas,” he wrote, “and that work continues unabated. And WINDS continues to be priority number one.”

Martin’s books are available now in print, digital, and audiobook formats. He has not offered a guess about when The Winds of Winter might be published. Since work on House of the Dragon continues unabated, it seems safe to assume that Season 2 will still premiere in the summer or fall of 2024 as previously announced.