Writers' Strike Won't Freeze Winds of Winter, Says George R.R. Martin

Lasting for over a month now, the 2023 WGA strike has already disrupted many movies and TV shows from production — for instance, Season 7 of Young Sheldon is at risk of being delayed due to picketing. However, some other major projects continue unabated by the event.

HBO's (or rather, Max's) House of the Dragon, the prequel to the network's hit show Game of Thrones, is about to have its second season out despite the strike. George R. R. Martin, the author of the book series behind Max's adaptations, reassured fans that the scripts for the new installment were ready long before the protests started.

'Every episode has gone through four or five drafts and numerous rounds of revisions, to address HBO notes, my notes, budget concerns, etc. There will be no further revisions,' the writer wrote on his blog.

More significantly, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire said that his work on The Winds of Winter, the next volume of the book series, wouldn't be impacted by the WGA strike. Martin explained on his blog that the strike affects TV and film writers engaged with the Union, but it doesn't concern novelists, playwrights, and others of the ilk.

The author also said that The Winds of Winter was and is his top priority.

As you probably know, Game of Thrones, based on Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, was finished even though the novel series was never completed — the author worked on the scripts alongside the showrunners, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, before he actually approached the novels.

It's already been four years since Game of Thrones came to an end, but Martin's sixth novel of the series, The Winds of Winter, is not completed yet. On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in October 2022, Martin said he had finished three fourths of the book and had roughly 500 pages left to write.

In a recent interview with Kevin Smith, the writer explained why the book is still in the works.

'There are joyful days, when it really comes alive, and the characters come alive and the scene and the words are pouring out of you. It feels good. But there are not a lot of those days. There are also days where it's hard,' the author said.

As a long-time member of the WGA, George R. R. Martin expressed his support for the strike and was seen picketing alongside his fellow writers in May.

While his further work on the scripts for House of the Dragon may be postponed, the WGA strike may actually give the author some extra time to work on his novel, so fans are hoping to see The Winds of Winter completed and released in the foreseeable future.

Sources: Not A Blog, YouTube.