Long before Game of Thrones was picked up by HBO, increasing the network’s badassery from “meh” to HOLY SH*T PEW PEW PEW SLASH SLASH SLASH BOOBS BOOBS BOOBS DRAGONS DRAGONS DRAGONS, author George R.R. Martin was an in-demand TV writer, penning episodes, presumably using peasants’ blood as ink, of CBS’ mid-1980s Twilight Zone revival, Beauty and the Beast (the one with Clay Morrow), and The Outer Limits. Meaning, as much as we hate to think about it, Martin has a life outside of Westeros, a fact we’ll have to accept now that he’s signed a deal with HBO to develop new shows that have nothing to do with demon babies.
The acclaimed author has inked an overall development deal with the premium cable network. Under a two-year agreement that was first reported on Deadline.com, Martin will develop and produce new shows for HBO. In addition, he’ll continue to serve as co-executive producer on Thrones. Martin also typically writes one Thrones episode per season, including an episode the upcoming third round of the hit fantasy drama which gets underway March 31. (Via EW)
Some gall, this Martin has. Every second spent not writing the follow-up to A Dance with Dragons and the follow-up to the follow-up to A Dance with Dragons brings him closer to death, which considering he’s “old and fat,” yeah. Jerk. Guess this means we’ll have to start crowdsourcing ideas for how the series should end. What could go wrong? OK, the final scene will involve a bunch of dragons driving Ferraris being chased by direwolves on mopegs, while Daenerys and Margaery make out and Tyrion tries out his standup routine about the differences between Starks (“Their servants be drivin’ carts like this…”) and Lannisters (“Our servants be mannin’ boats like this…”).
Who needs ya, George.
(Via EW)
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/photo/679/thumb)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/two-legged-dog-walks-upright-gets-new-fancy-arms-150x150.gif)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/games-of-thrones-season-3-second-sons-gif-recap-150x150.jpg)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/tyrion-wedding-1-150x150.gif)
![[image]](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/thumbnails/130/110/2013/05/Screen-Shot-2013-05-19-at-8.17.21-PM-150x150.png)
Maybe it means he’ll fast-track Winds of Winter and then take a break and focus on these shows before picking up with A Dream of Spring? I’m not optimistic….
oh sweet summer child…
It’s not that he can’t do what he wants, it’s that the way he does what he wants will drag Game of Thrones out for fucking years. I’m over him, I think the writers on the show do better fixing his stories than he does writing them.
agree, agree, agreeeeeee
As long as he has time to flesh out the duplicitous and snakelike Reince Priebus. Man, that dude is spooky.
God damnit, it’ll be 15 years before we get Book 6 now.
You uhhh…think he’ll make it that long?
I didn’t realize Santa Clause could be such a dick. BUT SERIOUSLY WHEN IS THE ‘AMERICAN GODS’ SERIES COMING HBO! GODDAMMIT
Is there a do not like button?
I read somewhere last week that he has 200 pages of manuscript that he considers “finished” of Winds of Winter and another 200 that still needs refining. That only leaves about 1200 more pages of manuscript for him to turn out. I didn’t expect the book until late next year at the earliest, but now I may need to reset my expectations to never.
those 1200 words will be lavish descriptions of feasts, dannys gowns, and the phrases “myrish lace” and “boiled leather”, so he’s got that covered.
That was back in June or July, so he probably has 100 pages of finished manuscript and 700 that need refining now….Is HBO retarded or do they want the show to overtake the books as well? They will be lucky to drag out Feast and Dance to 3 seasons, Storm is already broken into 2 season, and Im guessing they will do the same with Winds, which means he has 6 years to finish the story (I’m sure the show needs close to a year to write and film a full season). Best case scenerio we get Winds next year and I’m guessing more than likely it doesnt hit the shelves until sometime in 2015 or 2016 with his new distractions pulling at what I assume to be a very short attention span (I wonder when he saw it last?1972?).
If we get the new book in 2015 he should have the time to get the last book out in time, otherwise HBO is going to have to pull an AMC and take a 1 or 2 year hiatus from the series or maybe do a short season about his Dunk and Egg side stories to feed the beast that is the audience for this show. There is no way (If the tubby bastard is still alive that is) that his publisher will allow HBO to be the cannon source and conclude the story before the book is out. It’s in HBO’s best interest to not give the procrastinator of procrastinators any sort of distraction as we all know he is quite good at finding them on his own.
There’s one other problem that they’re going to run into; the aging children. Bran and Arya will be in their 30′s by the time the damned show wraps up. I realize they aged the children up a few years from their literary counterparts, but the action in the books will not cover the same time frame that it takes for the TV show. Going to be a real issue by the time they get four or five years down the line.
Also curious as to what they do with Theon this season. *SPOILER ALERT* His character is not in Storm of Swords or Feast for Crows. No way they’re just gonna let him walk away for three years and then attempt to hire him back. Of course, based upon what happens to him in the books, you could conceivably hire a new actor.
@Mattox *SPOILERS* I have a feeling were are going to be treated to some very uncomfortable psychological and physical torture scenes the next couple of years in order to keep Alfie Allen gainfully employed. Things like that escape attempt with that one girl which turned out to be a ruse by Ramsay.
@JamaalCharlesRepairedKnees I think you’re correct. He was on the panel for the show at whichever the most recent Con it was that they appeared at and he is listed on IMDB in GOT 2011-13.
He released a “sample” including a very AD&D cover photo – [georgerrmartin.com]
On the plus side, one of the new show’s he’ll be developing is called “Jeremiah Pussyhammer” and is about exactly what you’d think. Insider scoop.
Do y’all think he has a endgame for ASoIaF, or is he just spinning his wheels and (chicken) winging it?
Obviously, any words written on paper after Storm of Swords was going to be a let down, but Feast for Crows was borderline a tough read, Dance with Dragons much better, but those cliffhangers make me think he’s having some writers block
*The Taco Bell Dorito Loco did come out, so maybe he had to take a vacation.
**The Cool Ranch Dorito Loco is coming
***Siiiiiigh
I actually enjoyed aFfC more than DoD. This is most likely because I read book 4 right before book 5 came out and I was certain that when certain omitted characters reappeared the series would regain its full luster. It did not. I am with you that ending EVERY SINGLE character arc on a cliffhanger at the conclusion of DoD was perhaps the most frustrating literary moment of my entire life.
I think FfC & DoD were the filler for his original story arc. He wrote the first three books and then wanted to jump ahead in time five years for the ending. I believe he started down the rabbit hole of filling in the back stories and it just snowballed. I honestly expect the next two books to be much better than the last two books.
Tough read was a little harsh, i started book 4 immediatley after SoS, and i guess i was just blood thirsty. **Spoilery Maybe** There were a slew of new characters introduced, which is fine (not big on Dorne, espically after Red Viper) overwhelming at times. But there was no : Blackwater (or any real epic battles) Red Wedding and North of the Wall……And the painfull absence of Danny and Tyrion
I might be way off, its been some time since i read FfCs, but i remember speed reading it and having very few if any ZOMG moments…..idk
@Mattox Yeah that’s my understanding as well. Hopefully he’s plowed through most of the “filler/backstory.” That coupled with the fact that now everyone is operating along the same timeline he is able to regain some of his pre-aFfC writing pace.
@MissingLink Yeah their really were a lot less ZOMG moments in book 4. *SPOILERY* Briene’s encounters with the Brave Companions (who tragically appear to be cut from the show), Cersai’s crazy plan collapsing in the end, Arya’s discover she can warg… that’s about it. And those are all relatively tame by aSoIaF standards.
Here to hoping that his involvement will be mostly limited to having his name in the credits for a paycheck for the increased buzz his attachment will bring. If the show does overtake the books I think I will wait on reading them till after I watched the action on screen. Viewing Season 2 knowing what was going to happen was still fun but it just didn’t compare to the awesomeness of watching Season 1 not knowing what the hell would happen next.
1000% agree.
I actually really, really, really regret having read the books.
It’s times like this I’m glad I can’t read.
Jammals knees, I dont know about the brave companions being out, the trailer had a bear, whose bear was it?