George R.R. Martin: 'The changes at HBO Max' have definitely had an impact on the 'Game of Thrones' franchise

The "Game of Thrones" franchise is part of the crème de la crème of Warner Bros. Discovery, with the main show and spinoff "House of the Dragon" now the flagship programs of HBO and streamer HBO Max. But apparently even a juggernaut like "Thrones" isn't immune to corporate upheaval and HBO Max's impending merger with Discovery+, according to original series writer George R.R. Martin. p>

In a post to his "Not a Blog" on Dec. 28, Martin shared updates on several of his projects in development, including Season 2 of "House of the Dragon," the highly anticipated "A Song of Ice and Fire" episode "The Winds of Winter" and other in-development successor shows set in the "Game of Thrones" universe. In his blog, Martin briefly and obliquely spoke about "changes at HBO Max" - among them the cancellations of shows and movies and the removal of legacy material - admitting they had an "impact" on development. /p> Related Related

“Some of them move faster than others, as is always the case with development,” Martin wrote on his blog. "None have been lit up yet, although we're hoping...maybe soon. A couple have been sidelined, but I wouldn't agree that they're dead. You can take something away off the shelf as easily as you can put it on the shelf. All the changes at HBO Max have definitely impacted us."

Martin also talked about his work on other projects, including an adaptation of the "Wild Cards" book series in development at Peacock, as well as additional books in the series

"We're also still developing the Wild Cards TV series for Peacock, based (largely) on 'Fort Freak'. And I have 'Wild Cards' books to edit. Oh, and did I forget 'Winds of Winter? No, of course I didn't. But if I ever did, I know you'll remind me."

Martin also shared his thoughts on recent nominations for 'The House of the Dragon', in particular for Emma d'Arcy and Milly Alcock, who received Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations respectively for their performances of the lead. from Rhaenyra Targaryen series.

"Awards season is upon us, and congratulations are due to 'House of the Dragon' and Emma d'Arcy for their Golden Globe nominations, and to Milly Alcock and the show for the nods of head of the Critic's Choice Award," Martin wrote. "Well deserved. Fingers and toes crossed for all of them. But hey, when the Emmy nominations come out, I hope Matt Smith, Paddy Considine and Steve Toussaint are loved too. They were all amazing."

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