A sequel to Game of Thrones is in development, revealing a harsh truth about The Winds of Winter. Several Game of Thrones spin-offs have been in the works since the main show ended in 2019. House of the Dragon is the biggest, thus far, with the show’s third season set to air in summer 2026.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ story is next, coming in January 2026, and is based on several short novellas by George R. R. Martin. Fire and Blood served as the basis for House of the Dragon, with the A Song of Ice and Fire book series doing the same for the original Game of Thrones.
Now, six years after Game of Thrones‘ finale, sequels are reportedly in development, highlighting a harsh truth about the original book series.
There Is A Chance We Get A Game Of Thrones Sequel Before The Winds Of Winter
In November 2025, George R. R. Martin confirmed Game of Thrones sequels are in the works. The author revealed that, beyond House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, several other Game of Thrones prequels are currently in the early stages of development. According to Martin, there are at least five or six being worked on.
Martin went on to say, “And yes, there’s a sequel or two in the works.” This news comes after a Jon Snow sequel was effectively canceled by HBO in 2024. While it is unclear whether this idea is one of the sequels Martin referenced, it is at least good to know that more adventures in Westeros beyond Game of Thrones are being planned.
However, the sad truth is that one or more of these Game of Thrones sequels may be released before the original book series is even finished. Martin has been writing the sixth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter, since 2011, following the publication of A Dance of Dragons, and that is without mentioning the planned final volume, A Dream of Spring.
Updates have been few and far between about when exactly The Winds of Winter will be finished, with Martin’s time seemingly being taken up by Game of Thrones itself at first, and now its spin-offs and sequels. With even more live-action projects in the works, Game of Thrones‘ continuation could be released before the original story on which it is based is even finished.
The Game Of Thrones IP Is Too Big For HBO To Only Make Prequels
Evidently, the world of Game of Thrones is simply too vast for upcoming spin-offs to remain prequels. Yes, there is a lot of Westerosi history explored in Martin’s original series, which has served as the basis for two prequels, with five or six more in development. However, it is naive to think the stories simply stop at Game of Thrones.
Clearly, Martin thinks the same if he is developing sequels to the show. Whether these sequels are intended as giant continuations of the show on the same scale, akin to a new trilogy of Star Wars movies, for instance, or smaller-scale stories simply set after Game of Thrones remains to be seen. Regardless, Game of Thrones is too big to remain in the past.
A Game Of Thrones Sequel Coming Out Before Winds Would Feel Weird
Even with that truth in mind, though, a Game of Thrones sequel being released before The Winds of Winter would feel admittedly strange. Many have been eagerly anticipating The Winds of Winter to get a hint at how Martin intends to end A Song of Ice and Fire.
As everyone likely knows already, Game of Thrones‘ divisive ending was constructed using only minor knowledge of the final two books. This has led audiences to wait with bated breath for Martin’s official ending, starting with The Winds of Winter and ending with A Dream of Spring.
If a Game of Thrones sequel, continuing beyond what will be depicted in Winds and Dream, happens first, this will feel somewhat wrong. In an ideal world, Martin’s stories would have been finished, unveiling the true ending to the series, before Game of Thrones sequels were developed.
- Release Date
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2011 – 2019-00-00
- Showrunner
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David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
- Directors
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David Nutter, Alan Taylor, D.B. Weiss, David Benioff
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
