George R. R. Martin has responded to ongoing criticism regarding the progress of *Winds of Winter*, the planned sixth novel in his fantasy series *A Song of Ice and Fire*, telling *Game of Thrones* fans: "You have given up on me."
Last week, Martin joined the production of an upcoming animated *Hercules* film, marking his latest extracurricular activity not related to the long-awaited *Winds of Winter*. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Martin will serve as a producer on the project, which adapts the classic Greek myth of Hercules' twelve labors. Titled *A Dozen Tough Jobs*, the film will retell the story from the perspective of a farmer in 1920s Mississippi.
In a blog post, Martin addressed the largely negative response from *Game of Thrones* fans to the news.
I know, I know. Some of you will be upset about this, just as you are with every announcement I make that isn't about Westeros or *The Winds of Winter*. You've given up on me, or on the book. You think I'll never finish *Winds*. And if I do, I'll never complete *A Dream of Spring*. Or if I do, you're convinced it won't be any good. Maybe you think I should hand it off to another writer… or that I'm too old and won’t be around much longer. That I lost interest in *A Song of Ice and Fire* decades ago. That I don't care about writing anymore—that I just sit back and spend my money. Yes, I edit the *Wild Cards* books, but you hate those. Maybe you dislike everything else I've ever written—the Hugo winners and losers, “A Song for Lya” and *Dying of the Light*, “Sandkings” and *Beauty and the Beast*, “This Tower of Ashes” and “The Stone City,” *Old Mars* and *Old Venus*, *Rogues* and *Warriors* and *Dangerous Women*, and all the other anthologies I edited with my friend Gardner Dozois. You don’t care about any of that, I know. The only thing you care about is *Winds of Winter*. You've told me so, many times.
But the thing is, I do care about all those things.
And I care about Westeros and *Winds* too. The Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryens, Tyrion and Asha, Dany and Daenerys, the dragons and the direwolves—I care about them all. More than you can possibly imagine.
I fell in love with “A Dozen Tough Jobs” the first time I read it, years ago. I admired Howard, too. It saddens me that he couldn't be here to see this film; I hope we do his story justice. How could we not? Hercules, Howard, Joe, Lion Forge… I wish you could all feel the excitement I have for this project.
Martin concluded by sharing the *A Dozen Tough Jobs* announcement "for those who are interested."
*Winds of Winter*, the next installment in Martin’s long-running *A Song of Ice and Fire* series, still does not have a release date. In fact, it has been nearly 14 years since *A Dance with Dragons* was published in July 2011.
The 76-year-old author still intends to follow the highly anticipated book with another, *A Dream of Spring*, to conclude the series—something the *Game of Thrones* TV adaptation did not wait for, though its final season received mixed reviews.
While readers continue to wait, Martin has stayed active. The writer has been involved in several *Game of Thrones* TV spin-offs, including the successful *House of the Dragon*, and has written fictional histories set in the franchise's world.
Martin has also contributed to the video game industry, providing backstory for *Elden Ring*.
In September 2024, Martin admitted on his blog that "television projects took up most of the first half" of the previous year, limiting his writing progress. So when can readers expect *Winds of Winter*? According to Martin's post last month, not anytime soon.
In an April 7, 2025, post, he expressed frustration, saying he was "tired of having to deny rumors every time an offhand comment of mine—often unrelated to *Winds*—convinces half the internet that the book is about to release. It’s not. No."
