‘Game of Thrones” George R. R. Martin says writing on prequel series will stop for “duration” of strike
Game of Thrones writer George R. R. Martin has said writing on the upcoming Thrones prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Night will stop for the “duration” of the ongoing writer’s strike in the US.
The WGA West’s Board of Directors and WGA East’s Council voted unanimously to call a strike – the first since 2007 – according to a social media statement by WGA West.
The strike comes, WGA West said, after following six weeks of negotiations with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony under the umbrella of the Californian trade association the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Now, in a new blog post, Martin revealed that the writers taking part have his full support and that “the writers room on GoT spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Night has closed for the duration,” until the dispute has resolved, he added.
Beginning his blog post with “the strike is on,” Martin expressed his solidarity with the striking writers.
“No one wanted this — no writer with an ounce of sense, anyway — but the producers and the studios and the networks and the streamers gave us no choice,” he began.
“The Guild negotiated right up to the final deadline on May 1, but it takes two to tango. In the waning hours of May 1, the Writers Guild of America declared a strike. The action began on May 2. There are pickets in front of every studio lot and sound stage in LA, and many in other cities as well. Get used to them. I expect they will be there for a long time.”
He continued: “I am not in LA, so I cannot walk a picket line as I did in 1988, but I want to go on the record with my full and complete and unequivocal support of my Guild.”
The official synopsis of the upcoming series reads: “A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros…a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg.
“Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.”
Meanwhile, Martin also updated fans about the upcoming season two of House of The Dragon in the same blog post, saying production on the next season was currently underway in London and Wales.
He added: “The scripts for the eight [season two] episodes were all finished months ago, long before the strike began. 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.”
In a four-star review of the show NME wrote: “What is reassuring is that House Of The Dragon feels as though it is walking on solid ground: the bubbling rivalries, the jostling for power, the eruptions of violence; six episodes in, it is all coming together to create a rich stew.”
HBO renewed House of the Dragon for season two shortly after the success of the first episode, which racked up 20million viewers in the US.
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Elizabeth Aubrey
NME
