George R.R. Martin has lots of news to share that still isn't the news you want

Embodying the promptness and communicative nature for which he’s become justly famous, George R.R. Martin has issued a new communique this week, announcing the completion of a long-delayed, much-anticipated project that fans have been losing their minds over: The filming of the first season of HBO Game Of Thrones prequel series House Of The Dragon.

Writing on his personal blog—the most likely place to encounter George R.R. Martin’s words for the last 10 years and counting—Martin announced the news:

Exciting news out of London — I am informed that shooting has wrapped for the first season of House Of The Dragon, Martin wrote. “Yes, all 10 episodes. I have seen rough cuts of a few of them, and I’m loving them. Of course, a lot more work needs to be done. Special effects, color timing, score, all the post production work. But the writing, the directing, the acting all look terrific. I hope you will like them as much as I do.

Martin cautioned that the series—set 200 years before the events of Game Of Thrones, and which stars Paddy Considine and Emma D’Arcy as ancestors of the more modern Targaryans—still needs special effects and other post-production work, and that a release date hasn’t been set, which, yeah, that feels pretty familiar. “When will the dragons dance? I wish I could tell you,” Martin writes. “Lots of work remains to be done, as I said, and COVID makes planning difficult. This spring? Unlikely. Maybe summer? Could be. Fall? Who knows? You’ll know when we do.”

But, hey: We understand if this particular news is a little demoralizing, especially if you were hoping to see some other confirmation out of Martin this week. Well, you’re in luck! Martin also has a new, exciting premiere to announce: A new Marvel Comics adaptation of his long-running narrative superhero universe Wild Cards.

This is per THR, which reports that the series of short story books and novels—originally adapted from a tabletop campaign Martin ran with his friends—will be getting an official comic book adaptation. The series takes place in a universe where a virus causes human beings to manifest mutations that sometimes result in straight-up superpowers, but which more often just kill you, or make your life immeasurably harder. The series is being written by Paul Cornell with art from Mike Hawthorne.

And in other news: The Winds Of Winter will never be completed. The sooner you accept this, the easier it will be.