Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has shared an update on the progress of the five spin-off shows set in the world of Westeros. With the seventh season of the hit fantasy/drama nearing closer, fans are starting to look beyond the series that took the world by storm at what’s next for the franchise - which will be prequels and spin-offs set in the vast history that Martin has created for the A Song of Ice and Fire universe. 

As the definitive end of Game of Thrones gets closer - the final season/season 8 will be airing in either 2018 or 2019 depending on showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss’ writing and production schedule - it was announced in May that four spin-offs were in development, with writers Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island), Jane Goldman (Kingsman: The Golden Circle), Brian Helgeland (Legend) and Carly Wray (Mad Men, The Leftovers) working on projects. It was later announced by Martin himself that a fifth Game of Thrones spin-off with a unannounced writer was also in the works.   

Now, with only three weeks until Game of Thrones season 7 premieres, Martin has provided an update on the progress of these spin-offs and other projects in the work on his site, titled Not A Blog. Here is what Martin wrote:       

"The five successor shows are moving forward at various rates of speed and there are a couple other TV projects that I can't tell you about ... how much of this will come to pass, nobody knows. Ah, the joys of development ..."

His update reveals nothing about what the spin-offs are going to be about or what these mysterious “other TV projects” will be, but it’s good to know that progress is being made in the production and writing of these potential spin-off - as they are going to have big shoes to fill once Game of Thrones ends. So far, we know that season 8 won’t be used to launch any of the spin-offs and that Game of Thrones will be getting a proper send-off and ending, with no loose ends left. We also know from Martin that the spin-offs will not be sequels and will fall into the prequel category. In addition, his Dunk and Egg novella series, which tells the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg (King Aegon V Targaryen of Westeros), and Robert’s Rebellion will not be adapted for the spin-offs.

As far as Martin’s other projects go, it was recently announced that his 1980 novella Nightflyers has landed a pilot order at Syfy and there are many other potential TV hits besides A Song of Ice and Fire that could be development. There is a possibility that his science fiction/superhero shared universe anthology series Wild Cards, which are stories from a collection of thirty authors referred to as the Wild Cards Trust that is edited by George R. R. Martin and Melinda M. Snodgrass, may make its way to TV - or that one of his his stand-alone novels like Fevre Dream or his science fiction novel Dying of the Light might be in development. For now though, all Martin fans can do is speculate what the author has up his sleeve for any future TV projects.

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Game of Thrones season 7 premieres July 16th on HBO.

Source:  George R.R. Martin