Update: George R.R. Martin has said the quotes from this week's Daily Star interview are untrue.
"A Song of Ice and Fire" author George R. R. Martin says that HBO is planning a big screen adaptation of its most popular show "Game of Thrones."
Speaking at an HBO afterparty, Martin said he will not be involved with the film and that showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff will be tasked with bringing the epic fantasy series to the big screen, according to media reports. Now's as good a time as ever to make the announcement as "Game of Thrones" is coming off the most Emmy wins of any TV series this year.
"There will be a movie but I will not be involved," Martin, who is currently writing the sixth book in the series ("The Winds of Winter"), said. "I have too much to do. That is something HBO and D.B. and David are dealing with. I have two more books to finish and I still have much to do. The pressure is on. I am such a slow writer and the fans get upset that I don't write faster."
One production source said that the film may serve as a prequel to the television series.
"With the 'Game of Thrones' universe, there is much rich material and no constraints on when that story will take place," the source said. "They are looking at dipping back in time during certain periods of the series, which could be examined as a one off plot.
"That means that some of the big characters who fans have seen die on screen could be resurrected such as Robb Stark, Catelyn Stark, Oberyn Martell and Ned Stark."
HBO has not confirmed this report as of yet and Benioff has said that the show will not extend to 10 seasons as some fans had hoped.
"No way in hell because we know what the end is and we're rapidly approaching it," he said.
If the series were to do a prequel movie, Robert's Rebellion would be a prime period to cover. The revolt took place roughly 20 years before the start of "Game of Thrones" and saw the downfall of the Targaryen dynasty.
We'll keep you posted as more details begin to emerge.
