A new Game of Thrones prequel series has seen the writers’ room closed “for the duration” due to the ongoing industry strike in Hollywood, author George RR Martin has said.
Writing about the strike in a blog post, Martin offered his “full, complete and unequivocal” support for the strikers, despite being unable to join the pickets in Los Angeles.
The writers of the Emmy-winning drama The Handmaid’s Tale have also halted work on a new season ahead of filming which was due to begin in late summer, co-executive producer and screenwriter Yahlin Chang told Reuters news agency.
The strike began last week after more than 11,000 Writers Guild of America (WGA) members stopped working when their contracts expired, in a pay dispute.
Late night talk shows were the first to air and now A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, a new HBO prequel spin-off based on game of Thrones The novel series The Hedge Knight by author Martin is also among the main productions and ceremonies concerned.
The story follows the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg, in a time when the Iron Throne is still under Targaryen rule, prior to the events of the hit series.
In his blog post, Martin warned that the strikes could last even longer than previous strikes in 1988 and 2007-2008, which lasted 22 weeks and 100 days, respectively.
“The writers room on A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is closed for the duration,” he wrote, saying writer Ira Parker “and his incredible staff of young talent are on the pickets.”
He told his readers to “get used to” the pickets, saying, “I expect they’re going to be there for a long time.”
Recalling previous strikes in the industry, the author wrote: “I have suffered many since I began writing for television and film in 1986.
“The 1988 strike, the first one I was a part of, lasted 22 weeks, the longest in Hollywood history. The 2007-2008 strike, the most recent, lasted 100 days.
“This could last longer. Matters are more important… and I’ve never seen the guild as united as now.”
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Patricia Arquette supports the writers’ strike
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Patricia Arquette on the Hollywood strike
Martin assured fans that the second series of House of the Dragonanother Game Of Thrones prequel that has already started filming, would not be affected by the strike as the scripts were finished “months ago”.
Other productions affected include the final series of Stranger Things and the Marvel film Blade, starring Mahershala Ali.
