George R.R. Martin Says The Changes At HBO Max Have Impacted Future Game Of Thrones Projects
"A Song of Ice and Fire" fans will have to wait a bit longer for news about the future of HBO's various "Game of Thrones" spinoffs: according to George R.R. Martin, the recent changes to HBO Max in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger have, as to be expected, impacted the author's ongoing collaborations with the network that brought us "Game of Thrones."
Martin shared some news about the future of several projects in development on his website "Not a Blog" this week, in a charmingly on-brand update post titled "Stuff and Nonsense." The author first noted that he is working on "House of the Dragon" season two, along with his long-awaited book "The Winds of Winter," before mentioning he's also spending time on "several of the other successor shows that we're developing with HBO."
Several potential shows set within the world of Westeros have been reported on in the years since "Game of Thrones" ended, but only "House of the Dragon" has so far come to fruition. Among those that were reportedly at one point or another in the mix: a Flea Bottom-set series, an adaptation of Martin's "Tales of Dunk and Egg," a show that would bring back Jon Snow, one about Princess Nymeria, another about Corlys Velaryon, and more than one animated project. All are apparently in relatively early stages, and some of them don't seem to have weathered the storm of HBO's tumultuous past few years: one prequel pilot was reportedly shelved already, while The Hollywood Reporter has said the Flea Bottom show isn't happening.
Martin's still working on developing several shows
According to Martin, though, what is dead may never die. The author writes that "a couple [shows] have been shelved, but I would not agree that they are dead." He also explains that "some of those are moving faster than others, as is always the case with development," and that none have officially gotten the green light to head to series yet. Overall, Martin sounds optimistic about the future of the Westeros-set sagas in development, saying, "You can take something off the shelf as easily as you can put it on the shelf."
Still, the author ultimately says that "all the changes at HBO Max have impacted us, certainly." The streaming service's catalog has been put through the ringer lately in the wake of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, with CEO David Zaslav okaying the axe of a tremendous amount of content, some of it reportedly mostly finished, in an attempt to cut company costs by what may end up being a total of $2 billion. It's impossible to tell which specific Westeros-set spinoffs will actually make it to screen until Martin or HBO share more details, but for now, the author sounds hopeful that some of them will learn from Ned Stark's mistakes and escape the axe.
Martin signed a major five-year overall deal with HBO Max in 2021, before the merger, and serves as an executive producer on "House of the Dragon" along with his manager Vince Gerardis.