Although fans have been waiting for years for author George R. R. Martin to finish his medieval-fantasy series, "A Song of Ice and Fire," he insists that they'll have to remain patient, as he won't allow anyone else to pen them.
"Not while I'm alive," Martin said during a press conference in Brisbane when asked if he'd be alright with anyone else writing stories based on his licensed works, the Sydney-Morning Herald reports. "But eventually I will not be alive because Valar Morghulis - all men must men die. I don't think my wife, if she survives me, will allow that either."
However, the 65-year old admits that his elaborate fictional world may not die with him.
"One thing that history has shown us is eventually these literary rights pass to grandchildren or collateral descendants, or people who didn't actually know the writer and don't care about his wishes. It's just a cash cow to them. And then we get abominations to my mind like 'Scarlett,' the 'Gone With the Wind' sequel."
The first book of the series on which HBO's hit show "Game of Thrones" is based, "A Game of Thrones," was published back in 1996, and the latest, "A Dance With Dragons," in 2011. The next book, "The Winds of Winter," has yet to receive a release date or word from Martin on when it will be finished, much to the dismay of many fans.
In addition, "Game of Thrones" show runners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss have said that they may hit a roadblock if they run out of new source material for future seasons, although to help avoid this problem (and cover the massive amount of material in the books), they have divided seasons 3 and 4 into the first and second half of "A Storm of Swords," and may continue this pattern for seasons afterwards.
""I've always admired [J.R.R.] Tolkien and his immense influence on fantasy. [And] although I've never met the man, I admire Christopher Tolkien, his son, who has been the guardian of Tolkien's estate who has never allowed that," Martin said on the topic of authors licensing their original works.
"I'm sure there are publishers waiting in the wings with giant bags of money just waiting for someone to say 'yes, go ahead, let's write Sauron Strikes Back. I hope I never see Sauron Strikes Back written by some third rate writer who leaps at the opportunity."
