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One untitled Game of Thrones prequel has been ordered to pilot by HBO – but more might be on the way, according to George RR Martin himself.
The author of the A Song of Ice and Fire books wrote on his blog today (June 11) that three further projects are in development and also suggested that pilots for at least one of them could happen in the foreseeable future.
"If you have been following along, you know that we started with four, and eventually went to five," he said. "One of those has been shelved, I am given to understand, and of course, Jane [Goldman]'s pilot is now moving to film.
Related: Game of Thrones prequel spin-offs – everything you need to know
"But that does not mean the others are dead. Three more Game of Thrones prequels, set in different periods and featuring different characters and storylines, remain in active development.
"Everything I am told indicates that we could film at least one more pilot, and maybe more than one, in the years to come. We do have an entire world and tens of thousands of years of history to play with, after all."
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But it sounds like we shouldn't set our hearts on anything just yet, as he added: "But this is television, so nothing is certain."
HBO has so far ordered a pilot for prequel series from Jane Goldman which will take place in the Age of Heroes "thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones."
Martin heaped praise on the showrunner. "The accolades here should go to Jane," he wrote. "She has been an absolute thrill to work with... and my god, what a talent."
This spin-off likely won't arrive on screens until 2020. HBO's programming president Casey Bloys has said all along that he wants to give fans at least one year of breathing room before launching any "successor show."
Game of Thrones season 8 will premiere in 2019. The show airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK. Season 7 is now available to buy on DVD, Blu-ray or digital download.
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