George R.R. Martin continues procrastinating, to develop Game of Thrones stage production

George R.R. Martin is doing everything he can to avoid writing the last two books of his A Song of Ice and Fire series. Instead of hunkering down in his den to finish The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, the author is now planning to develop a Game of Thrones stage production.

The stage show will focus on an event depicted in the novels but never show on-screen during Game of Thrones. Book readers know all about The Great Tourney of Harrenhal.

According to the production’s official description, the play will go behind the scenes of this event, shedding light on its mysterious origins. Several iconic characters from the series could appear, including a young Jaime Lannister, Eddard Stark and Lord Robert Baratheon. But The Hollywood Reporter says that no roles have been confirmed yet.

For those who haven’t read ASOIAF, the tourney was hosted by Lord Walter Whent to celebrate his maiden daughter’s name day. Spread across ten days, the tourney included jousting, archery and other festivities.

The entire production isn’t dissimilar to what happened with J.K. Rowling and her continuation of Harry Potter to the stage for Cursed Child.

“The seeds of war are often planted in times of peace. Few in Westeros knew the carnage to come when highborn and smallfolk alike gathered at Harrenhal to watch the finest knights of the realm compete in a great tourney, during the Year of the False Spring. It is a tourney oft referred during HBO’s Game of Thrones, and in my novels, A Song of Ice and Fire… and now, at last, we can tell the whole story… on the stage… It ought to be spectacular,” Martin said in a statement.

Game of Thrones update: George R.R. Martin signs huge deal with HBO

This news comes on the heels of Entertainment Weekly‘s recent report that the author is sticking with HBO after signing a five-year deal to develop more projects for the network and its streaming service HBO Max.

Not only is Martin believed to be executive producing several upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off projects, like House of the Dragon, but he’s also expected to adapt some of his other novels like his Wild Cards anthology series (which has been moved to Peacock) and an adaption of his short story In the Lost Lands.

Despite all of this, Martin has assured fans he’s still working hard on The Winds of Winter, although people are, understandably, doubtful. It’s been almost a decade now since The Dance of Dragons was released. In his most recent book update, Martin claimed he still had “hundreds of more pages to write to bring the novel to a satisfactory conclusion.”

He said he hoped to finish the book this year, assuming it would subsequently release in 2022. But given he still has a whole other book to write after that, it’s hard to believe we’ll ever get a proper conclusion to the book series unless Martin hires a ghostwriter.

The Game of Thrones stage show is expected to make its debut in 2023, with productions planned for Broadway, London’s West End and Australia.