George R.R. Martin confirms five Game of Thrones spinoffs in development, all prequels

Although the Game of Thrones spinoffs currently in development at HBO are still shrouded in mystery, author George R.R. Martin has revealed some very interesting details.

Or, rather, blogged about them.

Martin published a lengthy post on his LiveJournal blog last night ironing out a few details that fans had concerns over. The author specified that the spinoffs weren’t going to be sequels to Game of Thrones, which is based on his A Song of Ice and Fire series, but rather prequels. They would expand on the universe surrounding the stories of A Song of Ice and Fire in Westeros, but wouldn’t take from the same storylines viewers have already seen.

Although Martin couldn’t specifically say what the series were about, he did take the liberty to confirm what they wouldn’t be.

“None of these new shows will be 'spinning off' from GOT in the traditional sense,” Martin wrote. “We are not talking Joey or AfterMASH or even Frazier [sic] or Lou Grant, where characters from one show continue on to another. So all of you who were hoping for the further adventures of Hot Pie are doomed to disappointment. Some may not even be set on Westeros.

“Rather than 'spinoff' or 'prequel,' however, I prefer the term 'successor show.' That's what I've been calling them.”

There are a number of stories that Martin could pull from — none of which will be “Dunk and Egg” and “Robert’s Rebellion,” which act as prequels to A Song of Ice and Fire, according to Martin — but the author couldn’t say much more than that. He did announce that during his time at HBO and talking to various network executives, they came up with a possible fifth idea for a series that was also being looked into.

“HBO announced the names of the first four, and will no doubt announce the fifth as well, once his deal has closed,” Martin wrote. “He's a really terrific addition, however, a great guy and a fine writer, and aside from me and maybe Elio and Linda [contributors to the Song of Ice and Fire world], I don't know anyone who knows and loves Westeros as well as he does.”

Before anyone gets a chance to ask, Martin reiterated for the umpteenth time that he was still working on finishing A Song of Ice and Fire. Martin released the fifth book in the series back in 2013 and has been working on the sixth, The Winds of Winter, ever since. Martin originally wanted to have the sixth book ready for release before Game of Thrones’ sixth season aired, but couldn’t make the deadline.

“I will confess, I do wish I could clone myself, or find a way to squeeze more hours into the day, or a way to go without sleep,” Martin wrote. “But this is what it is, so I keep on juggling.”

Game of Thrones will return for its seventh season on July 16. The series will end next year.