Oh gods, not this. According to The Hollywood Reporter, George R.R. Martin is developing a “dramatic stage show spectacular†based on the world of Game of Thrones, instead of, you know, actually finishing The Winds of Winter. THR didn’t report that second part specifically, but it’s the subtext of all this. Apparently, Martin is writing the story with the help of playwright Duncan Macmillan and director Dominic Cooke with the goal of debuting on Broadway, in London’s West End, and in Australia, with the first show premiering in 2023.
“The play will for the first time take audiences deeper behind the scenes of a landmark event that previously was shrouded in mystery,†its official description reads, referring to the Great Tourney at Harrenhal — meaning the play will be a prequel taking place 16 years before the events of the first book. “Featuring many of the most iconic and well-known characters from the series, the production will boast a story centered around love, vengeance, madness, and the dangers of dealing in prophecy, in the process revealing secrets and lies that have only been hinted at until now.†Considering it takes place at a tourney, this play will almost definitely just be Medieval Times Dinner Theater with stronger IP. According to Martin, he and the production team have been working on this project since before the pandemic, and, he says, “It ought to be spectacular.†Procrastinating on your existing writing assignment (A Dance With Dragons came out a decade ago) by writing a whole-ass Broadway spectacular? An Olympic-level avoidance tactic, right there.