Over the years, George R.R. Martin has written some great books, developed some television, and is never shy about speaking his mind. Now, according to new remarks he makes surrounding the current strikes impacting Hollywood, it appears he will not be as able to work with HBO as before.
The 74-year-old who has still not finished the book series which inspired Game of Thrones revealed his deal with the network is currently suspended, and he thinks the current strikes for on-camera performers and writers will be “long and bitter” in a recently published post on his official blog. Martin adds the current strike may be the most important of his lifetime (he has been in the union since 1986) and, while most things are shut down, House of the Dragon is humming along. However, Martin made is very clear he is not pleased about actors in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe where it shoots being unable to use their worker rights.
“If they walk, they have no protection against being fired for breach of contract, or even sued. ((Honestly, I was shocked to hear that. One of the two major UK political parties, Labour, has roots in the trade union movement. How in the world could they have allowed anti-labor regulations to be enacted? Seems to me that Labour Party really needs to do a better job of protecting the right to strike)).”
What will come next remains to be seen and, as to whether Martin is making any progress on the next book in the Game of Thrones universe, he does say he is working on it “almost daily” and is making progress, though “not as fast as I would like … certainly not as fast as YOU would like… but progress.” Here’s hoping he reaches the mountaintop and does not go get distracted by writing lore for another video game.