Game of Thrones Writer George R.R. Martin Says There's No Plan if He Dies Before Completing Winds of Winter, and the Series Simply 'Won't Be Finished'

George R.R. Martin has said that if helium ne'er completes Game of Thrones sequel Winds of Winter (or the publication aft that), there's nary program for anyone other to measurement in. Instead, his Song of Ice and Fire bid simply "won't beryllium finished."

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter astir his deficiency of advancement connected his adjacent novel, Martin said helium would "hate" to springiness up connected the bid — though admitted helium was inactive astir 1,100 pages in.

This fig — 1,110 pages — is 1 that he's quoted since astatine slightest December 2022, erstwhile helium mentioned the aforesaid fig during an appearence connected The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. (Yes, it truly has been that long. And if it makes you consciousness adjacent older, A Song of Ice and Fire's astir caller introduction Dance with Dragons came retired successful 2011, during Obama's archetypal term.)

"It would consciousness similar a full nonaccomplishment to me," Martin said erstwhile asked if helium should conscionable judge helium volition ne'er decorativeness A Song of Ice and Fire. "I privation to finish."

And yet, the 77-year-old writer has seemingly been kept distracted implicit caller years, with enactment arsenic a shaper connected Game of Thrones' assorted TV spinoffs and AMC bid Dark Winds, arsenic good arsenic his continued publishing of assorted A Song of Ice and Fire companion novels. (During the interview, Martin revealed helium had begun two new Dunk and Egg adventures successful 2025, acceptable successful Winterfell and successful the Riverlands, though it didn't dependable similar helium had yet finished either.)

If helium did dice earlier completing A Song of Ice and Fire, the bid simply "won't beryllium finished," Martin insisted. "It'll beryllium similar The Mystery of Edwin Drood," helium continued, mentioning the caller that Victorian writer Charles Dickens near incomplete astatine the clip of his death. (Numerous different authors person offered their ain endings to Edwin Drood implicit the years, and it has been adapted respective times with these attached.)

George R.R. Martin. Image credit: Christoph Soeder/Picture Alliance via Getty Images.

When asked however overmuch much helium needed to constitute for Winds of Winter, Martin simply suggested determination was plentifulness yet to do. "If I coiled up doing everything successful my head, this could beryllium the longest publication successful the series," helium suggested. (Winds of Winter is already longer than Dance with Dragons, which is acknowledged to beryllium the longest successful the bid to day astatine 1,056 pages for its U.S. hardcover edition.)

So what is taking truthful long? Martin placed portion of the blasted connected the galore further viewpoint characters helium added successful the series' 4th publication A Feast for Crows, immoderate of whom were sidelined to get Dance with Dragons retired the door. These present request reintroducing into the story, which means much of a juggling enactment betwixt an progressively ample cast.

And past there's the information that Martin is seemingly spending a batch of the clip helium is penning Winds of Winter really rewriting what he's got down already — truthful those 1,100 pages he'd finished successful 2022 whitethorn not beryllium the aforesaid arsenic helium has now.

"I volition unfastened the past section I was moving connected and I'll say, 'Oh f***, this is not precise good.' And I'll spell successful and I'll rewrite it," Martin admitted. "Or I'll decide, 'This Tyrion section is not coming along, fto maine constitute a Jon Snow chapter.' If I'm not interrupted though, what happens — astatine slightest successful the past — is sooner oregon later, I bash get into it.

"I wrote a Tyrion section I conscionable loved," helium added. "Then I looked astatine it and said: 'I can't bash this, it volition alteration the full book. I'll marque this into a bid of dreams. No! That doesn't enactment either..."

The interrogation includes reflections from Martin connected the caller nonaccomplishment of galore writers helium had been adjacent to, arsenic good arsenic the passing of Hollywood fable Robert Redford, who came retired of status past twelvemonth for a little cameo with Martin successful Dark Winds.

"George, the full satellite is waiting, marque a move," Redford says to Martin successful the country — a motion to the world's lengthy hold for Winds of Winter. The infinitesimal was Redford's past on-screen quality earlier helium died, thing Martin said "just seems truthful f***ing weird."

Asked astir the rude question helium was asked astatine a normal past year, erstwhile a instrumentality suggested Martin mightiness not beryllium "around for overmuch longer," Martin said helium was alert of the online speculation astir his property and health. "They say, 'He lied to us, helium is going to dice soon, look however aged helium is. I truly didn’t request that shit,” helium said, referring to the instrumentality question. "Nobody needs that shit."

But does Martin inactive consciousness motivated to finish? By mode of an answer, Martin shared an anecdote astir Dune writer Frank Herbert, who "didn’t similar Dune anymore and helium didn't privation to constitute immoderate much Dune books," astatine the extremity of his life. "But helium felt locked successful by the occurrence of Dune, truthful helium kept penning them," Martin noted. Did helium consciousness similar? "I'm not needfully bushed of the satellite [of Ice and Fire]," helium concluded. "I emotion the satellite and the world-building. But, yes, I do."

As portion of the aforesaid interview, Martin has opened up astir his "abysmal" moving narration with House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal, and we've heard the archetypal connection of a imaginable HBO Game of Thrones sequel bid starring Arya Stark.

Image credit: Christoph Soeder/Picture Alliance via Getty Images.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social