George R.R. Martin Says ‘Game Of Thrones’ Spinoff Deal With HBO Has Been Suspended Due To Strike

George R.R. Martin, the mastermind behind Game of Thrones and House of Dragons, announced that his 2021 deal with HBO was suspended on June 1.

Martin signed with HBO to develop several Game of Thrones spinoffs. However, he has put that on hold in light of the Hollywood strikes that are currently taking place, in which actors and writers are seeking equitable pay for the entire production team.

Martin and HBO are not the first to halt production amid the protests. Amazon, Warner Bros., Discovery Channel, NBCUniversal, Disney and CBS Studios have all announced their suspension of first-look and overall deals.

“I still have plenty to do, of course. In that, I am one of the lucky ones,” wrote Martin in a social media post. “These strikes are not really about name writers or producers or showrunners, most of whom are fine; we’re striking for the entry-level writers, the story editors, the students hoping to break in, the actor who has four lines, the guy working his first staff job who dreams of creating his own show one day, as I did back in the 1980s.”

Despite the suspension, Martin remains busy. He is working on his A Song of Ice and Fire novel The Winds of Winter, and on the script for the Game of Thrones stage play, The Iron Throne.

Though he is not currently writing for the show, production for the second season of House of the Dragon will continue.

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This should give Martin more time to work on the long-delayed Winds Of Winter, the final book in the GOT series.