George R.R. Martin has introduced the world to a lore that people will undoubtedly be grateful for in the years to come. The tremendous success of Game of Thrones globally has paved the way for the birth of numerous other shows and spin-offs. However, the author recently revealed why he isn’t jumping on the bandwagon of showrunners spawned from his novels. It’s because he’s currently engaged in writing a new book! Exciting stuff indeed.
The Winds of Winter Keeps George R.R. Martin from Taking the Reins Behind the Scenes of GOT Spin-offs
After the huge success of the Game of Thrones series, HBO was eager for more, and so were the fans. Thus, George R.R. Martin, the creator of this universe, pitched two new ideas, House of the Dragon and Dunk and Egg for spin-off shows.
Ultimately, as people now know, House of the Dragon won the favor of HBO. However, Martin decided not to take on the opportunity to run the show behind the scenes. In August 2022, about a month before the premiere of the House of the Dragon spinoff, George R.R. Martin, graced the Game of Owns podcast (via Winter is Coming), and that is where he revealed the real reason behind his decision. He said,
“They responded to [the idea for House of the Dragon] right away,–I was involved in it from the first.—There’s part of me that would love to be actually writing and running all of these shows…but I can’t! You may not know this, but there’s this book that I’m writing…it’s a little late, but I gotta keep working on it and finishing it!”
While Martin could most certainly add an extra layer of magic to the shows, he’s already deep in the writing journey for The Winds of Winter, his masterpiece in progress since 2011. Thus, he further revealed,
“Those are life-eating jobs–It’s 24/7 to be a showrunner…You’re the one they call at 2 in the morning when something has gone wrong in Morocco…There’s no way I could do that and hope to do any of the novels. So my part in all of these things is generating some ideas, helping setting up, keeping it consistent with the world, and finding good partners to work with.”
Although back in the day, he did juggle scripts for Game of Thrones, but now he’s steering clear of distractions to conjure up the long-awaited next chapter. So, while the idea of him directing the shows is pretty exciting, his writing journey must take priority.
What Fans Can Expect from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight?
HBO has been busy lately with another spinoff called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, based on Martin’s Dunk and Egg stories.
And it offers to bring a new flavor profile to the table from the Game of Thrones saga excitement and is expected to bring a breath of fresh air. Martin mentioned on his blog that it’s set to premiere on HBO Max around late 2025.
“Knighthood and chivalry are central to the themes of these stories.”
Here’s a sneak peek into what’s coming up. It has been known so far that there are three short novells in the Dunk and Egg series, there are three exciting stories The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight. These adventures are all packed into one book called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
The stories follow the journey of “Dunk,” who later becomes Ser Duncan the Tall, the leader of the Kingsguard, and “Egg,” who grows up to be King Aegon V Targaryen. They unfold about 90 years before the events in Game of Thrones. Fans are eagerly awaiting more details and are buzzing with excitement!
