George R.R. Martin signs new HBO deal
George R R Martin, Game of Thrones author and four-time Emmy winner has been bagsied by HBO for another 5 years. The new deal is worth a reported, mid-eight figure sum! The objective, to develop new content for HBO and it’s streaming service HBO MAX, the company reported on Monday.
The business relationship has more than proven its worth, with GoT being the most watched series ever… as well as most pirated! It has turned a massive profit, of around 3 Billion Dollars to date!
George R R Martin projects confirmed so far
The famous author is currently involved in several projects for HBO. These include; a series revolving around Nymeria of House Martell. Another that follows Lord Corlys Velaryon aka The Sea Snake. A series based in King’s Landing slum, Flea Bottom and a series based on Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas. There’s also an apparent GoT animated series in the works, details about that project are hush, hush. Then we have the one that’s about to start production…
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon, will be a prequel, set around 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. So far, we know it focuses on House Targaryen, the infamous rulers of Westeros. It is based on Martin’s book, Fire and Blood, which ends with an enormous civil war battle, known as The Dance of the Dragons.
It is reported that it is to be a 10-episode series, which is set to start production in April 2021 and air in 2022.
Confirmed cast so far…
Matt Smith (Doctor Who and The Crown) as Prince Daemon Targaryen, the younger brother of King Viserys Targaryen and supposedly has the true blood of the dragon and a fiery temper to boot.
Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One) is cast as Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King.
Emma D’Arcy (Truthseekers) is cast as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. Despite being the eldest child of King Viserys, she is not heir to the throne, as in most royal families, that honour passes through the male heirs only and Prince Daemon, her uncle, is marked for that position.
Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz) is to play King Viserys.
Martin is due to executive produce the series too.
What about the last book in the GoT series?!
In 2019 George R R Martin told fans, The Winds of Winter would be finished by 2020 and if it wasn’t they had every right to lock him “in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid” he also promised he would not write any scripts for House of The Dragon until it was finished. He then predicted a 2021 completion date. During the Coronavirus pandemic, Martin announced he has written hundreds of pages in lockdown. This doesn’t sound like a book near completion to me and with his latest projects taking centre stage, he looks unlikely to meet this target.
What do you make of George R R Martin signing a new 5 year deal with HBO? Are you excited to see what the combination comes up with next or has that cash cow been milked dry? Let us know your thoughts below.
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