Less than a month after new Game of Thrones prequel series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight was confirmed to be in the works at HBO, the show's pre-production has now been put on pause.
George R R Martin, writer of the Game of Thrones books and writer and executive producer on The Hedge Knight, confirmed the news in a blog post, where he offered his "full and complete and unequivocal support" to the Guild and the strike.
George R R Martin , creator of Game of Thrones. Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
He confirmed: "The writer’s room on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight has closed for the duration. Ira Parker and his incredible staff of young talents are on the picket lines."
Meanwhile, Martin also confirmed his projects that won't be affected by the strike, including novel The Winds of Winter and the second season of House of the Dragon.
On House of the Dragon, he said: "Across the ocean, the second season of House of the Dragon started filming April 11 and will continue in London and Wales. The scripts for the eight s2 episodes were all finished months ago, long before the strike began.
"Every episode has gone through four or five drafts and numerous rounds of revisions, to address HBO notes, my notes, budget concerns, etc. There will be no further revisions. The writers have done their jobs; the rest is in the hands of the directors, cast and crew… and of course the dragons."
The Hedge Knight will be based on Martin’s Dunk & Egg novellas, will unfold about a century before the events of Game of Thrones, and will follow the adventures of two "unlikely heroes" – knight Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg.
Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon both aired on Sky Atlantic and are available on NOW – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.
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James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
