While George R.R. Martin’s epic A Song of Ice and Fire novel series first began back in 1996 with the release of A Game Of Thrones, even he still doesn’t know how it ends, as he’s still writing the final two novels in the series — 20-plus years since the release of the first book.
And not only does Martin not know the ending of his own books, but he doesn’t know the ending of the worldwide phenomenon show that’s based on his books, as he’s reportedly been so wrapped up in writing The Winds of Winter that he hasn’t had time to keep up to date with the production of the series’ final season.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly for an exclusive season 8 interview, Martin said he’s largely in the dark about the series finale, as he’s been so busy with writing the books that he hasn’t had the opportunity to read the show’s scripts or visit the set.
“I haven’t read the [final-season] scripts and haven’t been able to visit the set because I’ve been working on Winds,” Martin reveals. “I know some of the things. But there’s a lot of minor-character [arcs] they’ll be coming up with on their own. And, of course, they passed me several years ago. There may be important discrepancies,” Martin revealed.
Additionally, Martin said he turned down the opportunity to make a cameo appearance in the final season, as he felt he could not afford to “take the time” to stop his writing to visit Belfast for the shoot.
“I was tempted to do [the final season cameo]. But I didn’t think, just for the sake of a cameo, I could take the time to return to Belfast,” Martin explained.
Game Of Thrones assuredly epic eighth and final season will premiere on HBO on Sunday, April 14 at 9 p.m. EST.
