The release date for "The Winds of Winter" might be further delayed due to George R.R. Martin's new project.

Martin has been hard at work writing the best-selling "A Song of Ice and Fire" since 1996. Apart from his other media projects, the author has contributed a lot to HBO's top-rating "Game of Thrones" series. As a result, it has taken Martin a long time to finish the remaining novels in the series. Latest news now suggests that the wait for "The Winds of Winter" may be much longer than fans initially expected.

Albuquerque Journal reports that Martin recently launched the Stagecoach Foundation project, a film studio located in his home city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The author received a 30,000-square-foot building as a donation for his new production facility/nonprofit office, which will be open to working with emerging filmmakers and established Hollywood production companies.

Brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, who directed classic films like "No Country for Old Men" and "The Big Lebowski," have reportedly signed up to use Martin's facility for one of their upcoming projects. Santa Fe mayor Javier Gonzales believes the Stagecoach studio will significantly boost New Mexico's economy since it increases the chances of drawing more productions to the city.

It remains unclear how involved Martin will be in the Stagecoach Foundation. However, Cinemablend points out that it is certainly another entry on the author's long list of responsibilities. It is worth noting that responsibilities in the past have already kept him from finishing his book series, which leads many fans to suspect if he could finish the latest installment within this year.

Martin gave his last update about "The Winds of Winter" in February, in which he told IGN that he is planning on adding a plot twist that deviates from the HBO show's storyline. He noted that many fans already know his style of writing, so introducing a few changes to the book might be ideal to set the novel apart from the TV series.