Nearly six years have passed since Game of Thrones concluded its run on May 19, 2019. The hit HBO series that became a cultural phenomenon is based on novelist George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. The show primarily covered the first five books and eventually outpaced the source material as the network was committed to keeping the momentum going with one season per year from 2011 to 2017. The final shortened season took two years to produce and arrived in early 2019.
The first five books in the ASOIAF series were released between 1996 and 2011, but the remaining two are plagued by delays. The Game of Thrones mastermind Martin has regularly updated readers on The Winds of Winter through various interviews and his Not A Blog blog. But for now, it appears the sixth book will not be released anytime soon. Here’s why.
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Martin’s Involvement In A Rumored Elden Ring Movie And The Winds of Winds Delay
Martin sat with Daemon Hatfield at IGN Fan Fest 2025 to discuss In The Lost Lands and addressed speculations about his potential involvement in an Elden Ring movie. When quizzed about In The Lost Lands, Martin explained that the epic or dark fantasy film derives from a 1982 short story of his. He also gave a subtle nod to his long-awaited The Winds of Winter in his answer:
“I was writing a lot of short stories then, in the earlier part of my career. Now, I of course, am most famous for writing these gigantic books that take decades to do and are thousands of pages…”
Martin crafted the lore of the 2022 RPG Elden Ring. Lately, discussions about a potential movie adaptation have surfaced. In the subsequent parts of the same IGN interview, Martin hinted that an Elden Ring movie adaptation might happen, but his involvement would be limited due to his ongoing work on The Winds of Winter. Martin was asked if he would be interested in coming back for a sequel to Elden Ring, to which he responded:
“Well, I can’t say too much about it, but there is some talk about making a movie out of Elden Ring.” adding, “So, we’ll see if that [the Elden Ring movie] comes to pass and what the extent of my involvement was, I don’t know. I’m a few years behind with my latest book, so that also limits the amount of things that I can do.”
The Winds of Winter Updates From Martin: Should It Be Expected?
ASOIAF readers stay abreast of the developments in The Winds of Winter canon and Martin’s insights as well as reflections through Not A Blog and various interviews. In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, the author was asked about the long-awaited The Winds of Winter. He acknowledged the delay in the planned sixth installment’s release, expressing a mix of hope, self-awareness, and defiance in his response:
“Unfortunately, I am 13 years late. 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, adding, “But that’s still a priority. A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me. [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!”
Martin’s numerous other commitments and an ever-so-complicated and vast storyline contribute to The Winds of Winter‘s delay. It has been over 13 years since the release of A Dance with Dragons and almost 14 since Game of Thrones debuted. Game of Thrones popularized A Song of Ice and Fire, following which Martin became a household name. He elevated his brand by pursuing several projects and exploring fiction far beyond the world-building and narratives of Westeros. These developments created a sense of uncertainty surrounding The Winds of Winter. Furthermore, the creative choices of Thrones‘ creators, Dan Weiss and David Benioff’s creative debacles, and the resultant backlash likely led to challenges for Martin. The writers took a different path to finish off Thrones, albeit honoring Martin’s ending in broad strokes (Daenerys’ descent into the Mad Queen, Jon killing her, and Bran on the Iron Throne). The final two seasons lacked the pacing and buildup that Martin’s planned books are expected to provide. All of this places a significant burden of legacy and expectations on the author, making it harder to finish the already complicated task at hand. Martin has to weave together a complex story and give a satisfying conclusion to the series, especially since the fandom has already been disappointed with Dan and David’s televised adaptation’s ending.
What Is The Latest From Martin?
Despite repeatedly speaking of finishing the last of the A Song of Ice and Fire books (such as in a recent interview with Collider), Martin has significantly procrastinated on his work. He committed to another promise of finishing The Winds of Winter in the blog post titled “Dunk, Egg, a Few Random Mutterings,” published on January 28, 2025:
“And once I finish THE WINDS OF WINTER, I will need to get hopping on “The Village Hero,” and all the other tales that await the lads. Don’t worry, I am sure you folks will remind me.”
Martin and Robert Redford made a surprise appearance in the Season 3 premiere of AMC/AMC+’s Dark Winds. In the scene, the Dark Winds executive producers are incarcerated in jail and engaged in a chess duel. Redford’s character waits for Martin’s character named George to express a chess move. He indirectly pokes fun at the long-delayed The Winds of Winter by saying, “George, the whole world’s waiting, make a move!” This is when the Navajo tribal police officer Joe Leaphorn helps Martin put Redford in a checkmate. Martin’s character takes extra time in the scene, and Redford’s character’s jab has a hidden barb at the author’s prolonged writing process.
The completion of the next two books (The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring) in the A Song of Ice and Fire series is shrouded in mystery. 13 years is a long time and the waiting period without a promise makes the Game of Thrones fandom’s frustration quite understandable.
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George R.R. Martin spoke about the ups and downs of his books being adapted on TV, specifically centered around one character.