Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin has revealed that his deal to produce original projects with HBO has been suspended as of June 1, as Hollywood’s writers and actors are on strike. The overall deal, signed back in 2021 and reported to be worth more than $10 million, was supposed to run for five years. However, fans of Martin’s work shouldn’t be entirely disheartened, as shooting on season 2 of Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon is ongoing.
Writing on his blog, Martin shared that House of the Dragon is able to continue production because the scripts have long been completed, while filming takes place primarily in London and other areas of Europe, where SAG-AFTRA holds no sway. As those actors are covered by the British union, Equity, “British law forbids them from staging a sympathy strike,” according to Martin.
Meanwhile, the production deal between George R.R. Martin and HBO presumably covers the full range of Game of Thrones spin-offs currently in the works, including a sequel series following Jon Snow, the Tales of Dunk and Egg adaptation A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, and another prequel exploring the origins of the Targaryen dynasty in Westeros. It is unlikely to resume before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA can settle matters with the AMPTP.
However, despite the slowdown, Martin himself remains busy, working on a stage production, editing more books in the Wild Cards series, and continuing to chip away at The Winds of Winter, the sixth book of the A Song of Ice and Fire series.
The full post also goes into some details about Martin’s history with the WGA and his impression of the current situation, which needless to say, isn’t a positive one.
