Game of Thrones: George R.R. Martin Reveals How Much He Still Has to Write of The Winds of Winter

By Nathaniel Brail

Game of Thrones aired its final season three years ago, and it ended what was supposed to be the story that George R.R. Martin began with his book A Song of Fire and Ice. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had to create the final two seasons under Martin's guidance, as the Game of Thrones creator hadn't finished the final book in the series. Martin has been writing The Winds of Winter for years and has been promising fans that he would deliver it soon. The book will more than likely feature a different ending than the HBO series, as the ending that aired back in 2019 was the subject of controversy. Now, Martin has revealed how much more he has to write to finish the book. While appearing on Stephen Colbert's Tooning Out the News, the writer said that he has officially finished around "1, 100 to 1,200" pages and that he'd have "another 400, 500 pages" to finish before he concluded the novel. Martin also cites "writer's constipation" as the reason for the long wait.

The Game of Thrones creator recently opened up about the in-development Jon Snow spin-off in a new post to his blog. In the post he revealed that he collaborated with Harington on the series as well as two other mystery writers/showrunners. Martin wrote in the blog post that he couldn't reveal who will write the series but that Harington's team is terrific.

"Yes, it was Kit Harrington who brought the idea to us," the Game of Thrones creator revealed. "I cannot tell you the names of the writers/showrunners, since that has not been cleared for release yet, but Kit brought them in too, his own team, and they are terrific."

In the final season of Game of Thrones, Jon Snow learned of his true identity as Aegon Targaryan, the true heir to the Iron Throne. After killing killing his aunt/girlfriend, Daenarys, to keep her from power, Jon was forced to choose a life of exile in the Night's Watch. Instead of staying with the Night's Watch, Jon headed North of the Wall to live with the Wildlings and his dire wolf Ghost. The series is said to focus on what happened after these events.

"We developed a lot of ideas, we were still developing a lot of ideas, and I think we're really excited about the one that will air later this summer," HBO VP of original programming Kara Buckley said of Game of Thrones spin-offs. "But, we don't feel the need to make another one unless it feels really creatively exciting to us. That's my job, at least. And the team that I'm on, that's what we're told to focus on."

When do you think the book will be released? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!

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