A Game of Thrones spinoff prequel titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight has paused production due to the ongoing Writers’ Guild of America strike. This development was announced by George R. R. Martin, creator of the Game of Thrones universe, via a post on his blog.
Martin began, "The writers’ strike is on. No one wanted this — no writer with an ounce of sense, anyway — but the producers and the studios and the networks and the streamers gave us no choice." He went on to talk about how the WGA tried to avoid the strike and negotiated until the very last day but for the unwillingness of producers, studios, networks, and streamers.
Martin revealed that, if he had been in Los Angeles, he would have joined the strike action. However, he declared his support for the action stating, "I want to go on the record with my full and complete and unequivocal support of my Guild."
Martin went on to reveal the status of many of his projects. About the Game of Thrones spinoff prequel, he wrote "The writer’s room on A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS: THE HEDGE KNIGHT has closed for the duration. Ira Parker [The Hedge Knight’s showrunner] and his incredible staff of young talents are on the picket lines."
The Hedge Knight is based on Tales of Dunk and Egg, a series of fantasy novellas set almost 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The books, of which three have been published, chronicle the adventures of "Dunk", future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard Ser Duncan the Tall and "Egg", who eventually became King Aegon V Targaryen.
The show’s synopsis reads, "A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros … a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends."
Martin had some good news for fans of his work, revealing that the second season of the record-setting HBO show House of the Dragon started filming last month and will continue as the scripts have been completed for several months.
The author also revealed that work on The Winds of Winter, the sixth installment of his beloved epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, continues. He clarified that the WGA strike only affects film and television writers.
He also stated that the strike has "nothing to do with novels, short stories, or any other form of prose fiction, nor comic books and graphic novels, nor stage plays, nor the editing of collections and anthologies" before going on to state that his work in those areas "continues unabated."
Given Martin’s career spans screenwriting, the 74-year-old is credited as a writer on The Hedge Knight, we understand his sentiment and support for the WGA strike. Despite his pessimism that the strike will go on for some time, entertainment fans will be hoping that both sides come to an agreement and work resumes on their favorite shows and movies.
By the way, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is only one of several Game of Thrones-related shows in development at HBO, including a Jon Snow-centered sequel.
