In Hollywood, it’s not just the screenwriters who are on strike, but now the actors who are part of the union – and yes, there are many of them. Of course, this means that numerous films and series are not being developed or shot at the moment. Finished works are also not promoted. In a nutshell, you could say: Hollywood is at a standstill.
Game Of Thrones creators George R. R. Martin is one of the notable screenwriters and has now appeared in his blogging also announced that his overall deal with US pay television network HBO, which he closed in 2021 and was to last for five years, was canceled on June 1, 2023. For Martin, this strike is a huge turning point – which he is happy to accept, he insists.
As it is known, Martin and HBO not only launched the highly successful “Game Of Thrones” series, but also developed numerous spin-offs, prequel and sequel series. Even though only a few have been further developed, the collaboration has certainly been very fruitful. But that seems to be over for now.
Will “House of the Dragon” Continue Without Martin?
The second season of the Game Of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon is almost over as production is unaffected by the US strike. The series will be shot primarily in the UK and scripts were completed before the writers left work. Martin also writes this in his blog. However, he himself no longer seems to be involved in the processes at all, emphasizing that he only knows what he has been told.
Martin not only takes the strike very seriously, but also explains that he stands behind all the writers and actors and how important the union action is. “We’re striking for the writers who are just starting out, for story editors, for students hoping for a breakthrough, for actors who only say four sentences, for the man who has his first job in film and dreams of one day making his own series, like I did in the ’80s.”, Martin writes, explaining that he doesn’t have to worry because he has plenty of other things to do. However, the author is definitely no longer working on HBO projects.
Will Martin finally finish writing “Winds Of Winter”?
Besides ‘House Of The Dragon’, the next ‘Game Of Thrones’ series is in the starting blocks with ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’. Martin would produce them.
However, he no longer co-wrote the screenplay, although the production is based on his novel Tales Of Dunk And Egg (aka The Hedge Knights). Martin did not comment on “The Hedge Knight” and other “Game Of Thrones” spin-offs in his blog post.
What is Martin doing now? “Of course I still have a lot to do,” he explains in his blog. He is currently working on the play “The Iron Throne”, which is unaffected by the strikes. He also writes daily about Winds Of Winter, the final installment in the A Song of Ice and Fire series that forms the basis of the Game Of Thrones series. Fans have been waiting for the book for 12 years – maybe now Martin will finally have time to finish it.
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