George R.R. Martin talks status of ‘Game of Thrones’ projects during strikes

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — George R.R. Martin is feeling grateful he is keeping busy during the current strikes in Hollywood.

As both writers and actors strike, the “Game of Thrones” creator has written on his website about the current situation.

“I joined the WGA in 1986 and have been through several strikes with them,” Martin wrote. “We made gains in all of them, but some issues are more important than others … and this year’s strike is the most important of my lifetime.”

While praising the “unity” between the two guilds, Martin offered shared information about the projects he’s been working on.

“Dark Winds,” the AMC series he executive produces, had already wrapped production on its second season and will be returning to TV July 30, minus any of the stars or writers participating in promotion for the show, Martin wrote.

As for HBO’s “House of the Dragon” (HBO is owned by CNN’s parent company) Martin confirmed filming is continuing in the United Kingdom and wrote, “I am told the second season is half done.”

“ALL of the scripts had been finished months before the WGA strike began,” he wrote. “No writing has been done since, to the best of my knowledge.”

And while his deal with HBO was suspended on June 1, as was the case with several other high profile writers and creators during the strike, Martin wrote, “I still have plenty to do, of course.”

“In that, I am one of the lucky ones,” he wrote. “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 80s.”

Martin wrote he is working on the stage play “The Iron Throne,” which has been in development for the past several years as well as working on several books including “The Winds of Winter,” which is one of the novels in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy series which includes “A Game of Thrones.”

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