The brilliant mind of George R.R. Martin, author of Game of Thrones, has gifted us with a franchise like no other. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the newest addition to the expansive universe, premiered on HBO in January 2026. Based on the Dunk and Egg novellas, the series is wildly gaining traction with fans. It all, of course, ties back to A Song of Ice and Fire, a saga that remains unfinished. Sitting down with James Hibberd of The Hollywood Reporter, the author muses that he had a few different ideas about some of the deaths that happen during the conclusion of HBO’s Game of Thrones. And they are ideas that could still impact the future of Westeros.
In the lengthy article, Martin quickly shifts focus to the book series that inspired Game of Thrones. He reveals that he actually envisioned an even bloodier ending than the one we got. And seemingly, many elements appear to be still up in the air.
“Martin’s thoughts turn, unprompted, to the end of Ice and Fire. It becomes clear that the details of his story’s conclusion, like so much of the saga, remains uncertain,” Hibberd writes.
“‘I was going to kill more people,’ Martin says. ‘Not the ones they killed [in the show]. They made it more of a happy ending. I don’t see a happy ending for Tyrion. His whole arc has been tragic from the first. I was going to have Sansa die, but she’s been so appealing in the show, maybe I’ll let her live…'”
Though the two characters were meant to have a much more tragic end in the books, both Tyrion and Sansa survive in the show. Martin alludes that this could always change, however. Two more books are currently in the works to be added to the series: The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. This could mean a very different ending than the one we know. Only time will tell.