HBO execs “frustrated but not surprised” over George R.R. Martin blasting House of the Dragon

HBO execs "frustrated but not surprised" over George R.R. Martin blasting House of the Dragon

As a dedicated fan who has followed George R.R. Martin’s work for over two decades, I find myself deeply intrigued by this ongoing saga between him and House of Dragon. It’s like watching a medieval drama unfold in real life, complete with power struggles, betrayals, and a dash of royal intrigue.

A week has passed, and fresh updates have emerged in the ongoing dispute between George R.R. Martin and House of the Dragon production team. To sum up, Martin had been hinting for a while about issues with the second season of House of the Dragon, which is an adaptation from his book Fire & Blood. The tension escalated when he published a blog post critiquing the showrunner Ryan Condal’s decision to omit a character named Maelor Targaryen from the series. It seemed that Martin was using this specific issue as a symbol of some larger concerns he had with the adaptation. Martin hinted at more significant, potentially harmful changes being considered for seasons 3 and 4, given how much of the book the show altered in its second season compared to the first — changes that were indeed far more extensive than those made during season 1. Consequently, it’s understandable why he might be worried about these alterations.

After deleting my blog post, I saw HBO stepping up in support of Ryan Condal. Not long after, they even released a podcast episode where Ryan defended some of his adaptation decisions – almost as if they anticipated my public criticisms of the show. The Hollywood Reporter shared insights from an HBO insider who mentioned that executives were “frustrated but not surprised” by my actions. It seems like I’ve been expressing my reservations about House of the Dragon’s adaptation choices to HBO for quite some time now. Some speculate that I went public with my concerns only when I felt that my private attempts to address them had run their course. This narrative is starting to feel more plausible by the day.

It appears that Martin has expressed feelings of restless nights while working through bouts of anger and sadness, suggesting that these issues have been significant for him. The way THR puts it might imply that his frustrations have been accumulating since the time when Martin was silent about changes made by David Benioff and Dan Weiss in the TV adaptation of “Game of Thrones” based on Martin’s “Song of Ice and Fire” books. However, I don’t entirely agree with this interpretation. While it’s correct that “Game of Thrones” deviated from Martin’s books to some extent, those changes were less drastic when the showrunners still had source material to adapt compared to the second season of “House of the Dragon,” which made significant alterations to “Fire & Blood.” Given that Ryan Condal and his team have completed their source material before making these changes…it’s understandable why Martin may feel this way.

HBO execs "frustrated but not surprised" over George R.R. Martin blasting House of the Dragon

George R.R. Martin asked to comment on House of the Dragon, praises entirely different Game of Thrones prequel

Martin has not explicitly criticized “House of the Dragon” since his previous post, but he seems to be subtly hinting at it by omitting it from lists of recent sources of joy. He continued this indirect approach when The Hollywood Reporter contacted him about the “House of the Dragon” situation. When asked for comment, Martin instead praised an upcoming “Game of Thrones” prequel show titled “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” which is based on his “Dunk and Egg” novellas.

I visited the set in Northern Ireland in July and loved what I saw. Great cast. [The lead characters] Dunk and Egg look as if they walked out of the pages of my book. My readers are going to love them. I certainly do. [Showrunner Ira Parker] is doing a great job.

The highly anticipated series, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” is shaping up quite well! Its premiere on HBO and Max is expected in 2025. On the other hand, it’s speculated that “House of the Dragon” might come back for its third season in 2026. However, I can’t predict what the collaboration between Martin and HBO will be like by then.

From a personal perspective, I am hopeful that Condal and his gifted team will heed Martin’s counsel and stay more faithful to the source material when it comes to House of the Dragon. While adaptations inevitably involve changes from book to screen, the transformations in this case seem to have veered too far, resulting in a different narrative altogether. For instance, Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower are at odds in the book but share an alliance on the show. When two key characters behave so differently from their book counterparts, it might be prudent to reconsider the approach and perhaps recalibrate.

2024-09-11 22:41