George RR Martin weighs in on whether Game of Thrones books will have different ending from TV series

In a blog post commemorating the conclusion of the show, Martin teased the next, long-awaited instalment in his books – The Winds of Winter – but refused to reveal a release date for fear of "jinx[ing]" himself.

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"I’m writing. Winter is coming, I told you, long ago… and so it is. THE WINDS OF WINTER is very late, I know, I know, but it will be done," Martin said. "I won’t say when, I’ve tried that before, only to burn you all and jinx myself… but I will finish it, and then will come A DREAM OF SPRING."

"How will it all end? I hear people asking," Martin added. "The same ending as the show? Different? Well… yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes."

"I am working in a very different medium than David and Dan, never forget. They had six hours for this final season. I expect these last two books of mine will fill 3,000 manuscript pages between them before I’m done… and if more pages and chapters and scenes are needed, I’ll add them.

Martin concluded that neither the ending to the show nor the books would take precedence over the other, citing Gone with the Wind, in which main character Scarlett O'Hara has several children in the books but only one in the 1939 film version.

"Book or show, which will be the “real” ending? It’s a silly question," Martin said. "How many children did Scarlett O’Hara have?

"How about this? I’ll write it. You read it. Then everyone can make up their own mind, and argue about it on the internet."

Game of Thrones is available to watch on Sky Atlantic for UK viewers