George R. R. Martin no longer knows if he’ll finish the Song of Ice and Fire series.
The beloved run of novels has grown into a global phenomenon since the first book, Game of Thrones, was published in 1996, spawning the acclaimed television series of the same name. Now, though, Martin has seemingly stalled out with the sixth and second-to-last title, The Winds of Winter. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview, he said of the book, “Unfortunately, I am 13 years late.”
Martin added, “Every time I say that, I’m [like], ‘How could I be 13 years late?’ I don’t know, it happens a day at a time.”
Addressing speculation that The Winds of Winter — and the final planned book, A Dream of Spring — may never be finished, Martin assured fans that completing the series of novels is “still a priority.” Nonetheless, he’s not making any guarantees.
“A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me,” Martin said. “[They’re saying] ‘Oh, he’ll never be finished.’ Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I’m alive right now! I seem pretty vital!” He added that he has no plans to retire, quipping that he is “not a golfer.”
This isn’t the first time Martin has addressed the “long overdue” status of The Winds of Winter — he even said fans could imprison him after July 29th, 2020 if the book still wasn’t finished, and that was over four years ago.
Part of the reason for the delay is Martin is keeping himself busy with plenty of things that aren’t The Winds of Winter, like participating in a lawsuit against OpenAI for copyright infringement and producing short films based on the works of his late, lifelong friend, the cult science fiction author Howard Waldrop.
Martin self-financed the films, the first of which is based on Waldrop’s short story The Ugly Chickens. Starring Felicia Day (Supernatural), it was shot alongside adaptations of Mary-Margaret Road Grader and Night of the Cooters. The series is currently making rounds on the festival circuit, with Chickens getting a Best Short Film nomination at the HollyShorts Film Festival.
In the world of Game of Thrones, Martin recently wrote and executive produced the prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on his Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. It’s currently slated for release on HBO in 2025.
Other spinoffs in various stages of development include Aegon’s Conquest, The Sea Snake /Nine Voyages, and 10,000 Ships. Meanwhile, the second season of House of the Dragon concluded this past August.