New Game of Thrones spinoff shuts down writer’s room during strike
By Dan Selcke
The members of the Writers Guild of America are currently on strike. Among other things, these striking Hollywood writers want more competitive pay, increased job security, and limitations on the use of AI.
While the strike goes on, some shows will be delayed while others will shoot but without the aid of writers on set to rewrite scenes or punch them up. Netflix’s hit Stranger Things is in the former category, while HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon is in the latter.
House of the Dragon was already rolling on its second season when the strike was declared, so HBO made the decision to press on with shooting. But there’s another Game of Thrones spinoff in the works: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, which is based on George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas. HBO announced that one just a few weeks ago, so it’s still in the early stages. According to Martin himself, that show is shut down for the strike.
George R.R. Martin offers “full and complete and unequivocal support” for striking Hollywood writers
“The writer’s room on A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS: THE HEDGE KNIGHT has closed for the duration,” Martin wrote on his Not a Blog. “Ira Parker and his incredible staff of young talents are on the picket lines.”
Ira Parker wrote the fourth episode of House of the Dragon, the excellent “King of the Narrow Sea.” Now he’s managing the writer’s room for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Since the new prequel series is still in the writing stage, it makes sense that it won’t move forward while the writers are on strike.
As for when things might get moving again, Martin warns that we could be in for a long wait. “I have been through several of these [strikes] since I first started writing for television and film in 1986,” he wrote. “The 1988 strike, the first I was a part of, lasted 22 weeks, the longest in Hollywood history. The 2007-2008 strike, the most recent, went for 100 days. This one may go longer. The issues are more important, imnsho, and I have never seen the Guild so united as it is now.”
We’ll see what happens. Martin clarified that the strike won’t affect his work on The Winds of Winter, since this is about television writing only, but did confirm that’s 100% behind the striking screenwriters: “I want to go on the record with my full and complete and unequivocal support of my Guild.”
Next. No, The Winds of Winter isn’t finished; don’t heed the rumors. dark
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