This has been met with a positive, if cautious, reception after Game of Thrones’ controversial finale, but it also has made some Martin fans even more anxious since eight years after the publication of A Dance with Dragons, we’re still waiting for the sixth book in “A Song of Ice and Fire,” The Winds of Winter. Martin, however, attempted to quell those concerns when he took to his adorably antiquated blog to confirm he will not do any actual writing on House of the Dragon until The Winds of Winter is completed. “Let me make this perfectly clear…” Martin wrote (emphasis his), “I am not taking on any scripts until I have finished and delivered WINDS OF WINTER. Winter is still coming, and WINDS remains my priority, as much as I’d love to write an episode of HOUSE.” The confirmation that Winds of Winter is Martin’s priority shouldn’t be a surprise considering that he opted to stop writing episodes of Game of Thrones after season 4 to focus on Winds of Winter. (Which in itself is a shame, as the show still caught up with him, and his episodes, particularly “Blackwater,” has some of the best dialogue in the whole series.) However, this does appear to leave wiggle room for Martin to write episodes of House of the Dragon before or during the writing process of A Dream of Spring, so don’t get your hopes up of seeing his version of the of the Battle of Winterfell or the burning of King’s Landing anytime soon. [Condal’s] a terrific writer… and a fan of my books since well before we met,” wrote Martin. “He tells me that he discovered the series just after A STORM OF SWORDS was published, and ‘I’ve loved the books for 19 years.’” He went on to describe working with Condal on House of the Dragon as a dream come true. Martin added, “HOUSE OF THE DRAGON has been in development for several years (though the title has changed a couple of times during the process). It was actually the first concept I pitched to HBO when we started talking about a successor show, way back in the summer of 2016.” read more: Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and the Showrunner Backlash Beyond this, Martin is somewhat cryptic about the details, but we’ve unpacked here the series is expected to be about the build-up and subsequent clash of the first Targaryen civil war, romantically known as “the Dance of Dragons,” about 200 years before the events on Game of Thrones. That war, which is loosely based on a British civil war from the 12th century known as “the Anarchy,” is credited by some as the beginning of Targaryen decline after Westerosi lords attempt to back a male heir from King Viserys I’s second marriage over the lone surviving daughter from the dead king’s first marriage. Fighting and dragonfire ensue. This series features Condal and director Miguel Sapochnik as showrunners (Sapochnik directed many of Game of Thrones’ most visually dazzling episodes.) Martin also offered some sweet, conciliatory words to Jane Goldman and her whole team on the axed The Long Night pilot, which we personally thought had a lot more fertile ground for storytelling possibilities in the distant past of the “Age of Heroes.” Martin certainly has his hands full, but one thing’s clear about his vision of Westeros: we never wanted to leave. And it appears we won’t be. David Crow is the Film Section Editor at Den of Geek. He’s also a member of the Online Film Critics Society. Read more of his work here. You can follow him on Twitter @DCrowsNest.
