Fans have been waiting for the final book in the ‘Game Of Thrones’ series for many years

George R. R. Martin

The author and TV writer, 76, has written all the books that both the Game Of Thrones and House Of The Dragon television shows were based upon.

While The House Of The Dragon is a completed book, the Game Of Thrones television series finally overtook the books in 2015. Martin has long teased the final book in the series, titled The Winds Of Winter – but over the years, fans have been left disappointed when the final book failed to materialise.

Now, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Martin has admitted that while it’s still a “priority” to finish the book, he recognises how long it’s taken him – and that people might be right about him never getting it finished.

“Unfortunately, I am 13 years late [with book six],” he told the outlet. “Every time I say that, I think, ‘How could I be 13 years late?’ I don’t know, it happens a day at a time.”

He continued: “But [Winds Of Winter] is still a priority. A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me: ‘Oh, he’ll never be finished!’ Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I’m alive right now! I seem pretty vital!’

In 2010, Martin told fans he had four chapters completed of the book. When the book failed to arrive in 2014, he told fans the final book would arrive in 2016, and that he now had hundreds of pages written.

Then in 2016, Martin admitted that “The writing did not go as fast or as well as I would have liked.”

He then promised “another Westeros book” which turned out to be Fire And Blood – the history of House Targaryen that went on to be adapted into House Of The Dragon.

Last month, Martin appeared to tease the return of Maisie Williams to the Game Of Thrones universe.

On his blog, Martin wrote about a recent trip to London where he met Williams, who played Arya Stark in the long-running show, about an upcoming project the pair were both involved in.

“We also got together with Maisie Williams for pizza and pasta, and talked about… Well, no, better not get into that, do not want to jinx it,” Martin cryptically wrote on his blog. “But it could be so much fun,” he added.

The news arrived amid reports that a new Game Of Thrones film is in early development at Warner Bros. It was not certain if this was the project Martin could be referring to.

Back in November, the first teaser of the Game Of Thrones spinoff series A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms was also shared.

The upcoming show is expected to consist of six episodes and will air in 2025 on HBO. It will be an adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s novella The Hedge Knight, which is set roughly 100 years before the events of Game Of Thrones and a century after House Of The Dragon.

Peter Claffey is set to star as Ser Duncan The Tall (aka Dunk), a penniless squire who ends up a knight, alongside Dexter Sol Ansell as Egg. The series is being co-written by former House Of The Dragon writer Ira Parker, with current showrunner Ryan Condal describing the books as “a lone wolf and cub story told in this vast canvas”, in an interview with EW.

It follows on from the second season of House Of The Dragon, which aired earlier this year and has now been picked up for season three.

In a four-star review of the first season of the spin-off, NME wrote: “What is reassuring is that House Of The Dragon feels as though it is walking on solid ground: the bubbling rivalries, the jostling for power, the eruptions of violence; six episodes in, it is all coming together to create a rich stew.”