'Game of Thrones': George R R Martin says three spin-offs are 'moving forward nicely'

The author added that one TV project will be filmed later this year

US novelist George R. R. Martin arrives for the "Game of Thrones" eighth and final season premiere at Radio City Music Hall on April 3, 2019 in New York city. / AFP / Angela Weiss
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Emma Day
May 06, 2019
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With last night's airing of the latest episode of Game of Thrones, we're drawing ever closer to the final instalment of the last season of the fantasy epic.

However, the world of Westeros won't be closed to fans once the credits roll on the last episode of the HBO smash hit.

George R R Martin, the American author behind the novels on which the show is based, this weekend uploaded a new post to his blog, reminding readers that other projects are in the works.

The 70-year-old writer told fans that three shows which take part in the series' fictional kingdoms are "moving along nicely", though revealed he is loathed to call them "spin-offs".

This image released by HBO shows from left, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, Isaac Hempstead Wright, and Maisie Williams in a scene from "Game of Thrones," that aired Sunday, April 21, 2019. With the Game of Thrones' Jon Snow revealing his royal lineage to his potential rival Daenerys Targaryen, the beleaguered army at Winterfell is about to find out if two chief executives better than one. (Helen Sloan/HBO via AP)

Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner), Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) in 'Game of Thrones'. AP 

"We have had five different Game of Thrones successor shows in development at HBO," Martin said, refuting conflicting rumours that have abounded the internet. "The one I am not supposed to call The Long Night will be shooting later this year, and two other shows remain in the script stage, but are edging closer."

While Martin would not be pressed on what the plots of the aforementioned shows would focus around, he instructed fans to pick up a copy of Fire & Blood, which was released last year, and "come up with your own theories".

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The book is a complete history of House Targaryen, set 300 years before the story of Game of Thrones, leading fans to speculate that one show will act as a prequel, exploring the family roots of Queen Daenerys.

One spin-off has already been confirmed by HBO, which will take place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones.

"The series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour," the broadcaster says on its website. "From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of the White Walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend, only one thing is for sure: it’s not the story we think we know."

The prequel will star Naomi Watts, Miranda Richardson, Jamie Campbell Bower and Josh Whitehouse, among others, in an ensemble cast. The series will be helmed by Martin and screenwriter Jane Goldman, with both set to executive produce.

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