Netflix’s Warner Bros. Takeover Could Push The Winds of Winter Even Further Back — George R.R. Martin Didn’t See It Coming
The Winds of Winter may be pushed back yet again as a $82.7 billion Netflix–Warner Bros mega-deal, per Deadline, is set to rewrite television’s power map and send shockwaves through HBO’s slate.
So here is a curveball: a report claims Netflix is buying Warner Bros in an $82.7 billion deal. If that actually goes through, it could scramble a lot of the TV landscape, and the Game of Thrones corner of HBO is right in the splash zone. And yes, that includes whatever is left of The Winds of Winter timeline.
The deal everyone is talking about
Per a report flagged via Deadline, Netflix and Warner Bros have entered into a surprise acquisition agreement valued at $82.7 billion. The pitch is that this would be a historic shake-up for television. One immediate upside folks are already pointing to: broader international access to HBO programming. The trade-off? When one giant swallows another, release calendars tend to wobble, priorities get reshuffled, and some projects end up waiting their turn.
On paper, Netflix is saying it plans to keep Warner Bros operations largely intact. In practice, the buyer calls the shots. If Netflix ends up steering the ship on Thrones-adjacent series, expect timetables to shift. The streamer is not exactly famous for lightning-fast season turnarounds, and that could ripple across existing HBO productions and future spinoffs.
What that means for Thrones on TV
George R.R. Martin is more involved on the TV side than ever. He is executive producing House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and he has been taking meetings with writers about additional spinoffs. Translation: he is regularly in the loop on scripts, tone, and worldbuilding details to keep these shows aligned with Westeros as it exists in his head.
HBO already takes its time with production, and a Netflix-run pipeline could stretch those gaps even more. Even if day-to-day teams stay the same, any major corporate handoff brings new notes, new approvals, and a fresh layer of oversight. Martin would likely have to keep shepherding adaptations to make sure they stay faithful. More time in production trenches generally means less time at the desk finishing chapters.
And then there is The Winds of Winter
The book was in a fog long before any Netflix-WB headlines. Martin has repeatedly said he intends to finish it, but between his expanding TV obligations and a story this tangled, progress has been stop-and-start for years. Part of why it is taking so long, by his own admission, is the complexity: the plot keeps forcing revisions and rewrites. Meanwhile, we are approaching 15 years since A Dance with Dragons, and the silence between updates is wearing on fans.
If Netflix ultimately takes the reins on Thrones productions, the choice for Martin becomes even sharper: devote more time to live-action Westeros in the short term, or tunnel into the final two A Song of Ice and Fire novels. He may try to juggle both, but schedules have a way of picking winners.
Where things could land
Until the deal is finalized and the new hierarchy is in place, this is all potential energy. If it closes, expect a reshuffle that could mean slower seasons, a wider global footprint for HBO titles, and an even trickier path for Winds in the near term. If it does not, the picture stays murky for the usual reasons: big shows take time, and big books take longer.
A quick refresher on the book timeline
- A Game of Thrones — 1996
- A Clash of Kings — 1998
- A Storm of Swords — 2000
- A Feast for Crows — 2005
- A Dance with Dragons — 2011
- The Winds of Winter — TBA
- A Dream of Spring — TBA
How do you feel about Netflix potentially steering future Thrones projects? Optimistic about the reach, worried about the wait, or both?