‘Game of Thrones’ author George R.R. Martin has come to terms with the possibility that HBO could put forward the show’s concluding episodes based on his novel series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ even before the last book is made available.
Martin recently shared a chapter from ‘The Winds of Winter,’ the sixth installment in his seven-volume book series, at the Sasquan science fiction convention in Spokane, Wash.
Following the event, the award-winning author took some time to answer questions from the audience, with GeekWire asking him about his thoughts on the TV version possibly coming to an end before his books.
"Anything is possible," Martin said as he acknowledged the possibility that the hit HBO fantasy drama is pressing on like a "jet locomotive." "They're writing 60-page scripts, I'm writing 1,500-page novels," he said. "So who the hell knows?"
Martin also admitted that, at one point, he was worried that the TV series will come to a conclusion first before his own books, but later on realized that worrying would not prevent such possibility.
"Worrying about it isn't going to change it one way or another. I still sit down at the typewriter, and I have to write the next scene and the next sentence,” he shared. “I'm just going to tell my story, and they're telling their story and adapting my books, and we shall see."
‘Game of Thrones’ showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss previously admitted that the HBO program may end sooner than the books.
"Luckily, we've been talking about [the series outpacing the books] with George for a long time, ever since we saw this could happen, and we know where things are heading," Benioff explained. "And so we'll eventually, basically, meet up at pretty much the same place where George is going; there might be a few deviations along the route, but we're heading towards the same destination."
One of the reasons that the TV adaptation is set to move as fast as possible is the fact that the child actors are simply growing up. .
"This is a serious concern," Martin said in a 2014 interview with Vanity Fair. "Maisie [Williams] was the same age as Arya when it started, but now Maisie is a young woman and Arya is still 11. Time is passing very slowly in the books and very fast in real life."
Nonetheless, Benioff believes that the last two ‘ASOIAF’ books will still sell even though the series’ ending will be spoiled by the TV adaptation.
‘The Winds of Winter’ is yet to be given an official release date while ‘Game of Thrones’ season six is expected to air in April 2016 on HBO.
