“The Winds of Winter” release date may come much later than everyone has expected. Author George R.R. Martin shared that he did not care if HBO’s “Game of Thrones” reached its series finale first before he finishes writing the book.
Speaking to Geekwire, Martin shared that the series could go right ahead and air the final episode of the show based on what has already been released. He added that it would not bother him, saying that fans should treat both the novel and TV adaptation as two separate entities.
The publication pointed out that "Game of Thrones" seems to be deviating from Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.
For instance, season 5 ended with major cliffhangers including several plot twists, which were not in the book. The outlet noted that Princess Arianne of Dorne was not even included in the adaptation.
In an interview with Variety, screenwriters David Benioff and D.B. Weiss revealed that "The Winds of Winter" would not actually dictate what would happen in "Game of Thrones" season 6.
Benioff shared that although they have been speaking to Martin about the series' future, it does not mean that they had the same vision. He added that because Martin is still in the process of writing the novels, he has yet to make up his mind on what will happen to the characters.
"It doesn't mean that that ending that he has currently conceived is going to be the ending when he eventually writes it," he said.
When asked how long they thought "Game of Thrones" would stay on air, Benioff predicted that they could go on for four more years until season 10. He added that all the fans, as well as the cast and crew members, are invested in the series and they are willing to stretch it for as long as possible.