The showrunner of House of the Dragon, Ryan Condal, expressed his disappointment with the criticisms leveled by George R.R. Martin, the mastermind behind the Game of Thrones universe, regarding the series' second season. Martin's critique, published in August 2024, focused on specific plot elements involving Aegon and Helaena's children, raising concerns about the future direction of the show. Although Martin's post was later removed from his website without explanation, it had already garnered significant attention from fans and HBO alike.
During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Condal shared his thoughts on Martin's disapproval. He emphasized the emotional impact of the strained relationship with the Game of Thrones creator, stating, "It was disappointing. I will simply say I've been a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire for almost 25 years now, and working on the show has been truly one of the great privileges of, not only my career as a writer, but my life as a fan of science-fiction and fantasy. George himself is a monument, a literary icon in addition to a personal hero of mine, and was heavily influential on me coming up as a writer."
Condal acknowledged the challenges of adapting the source material, Fire & Blood, for television, noting that the process often requires filling in gaps and inventing new elements. He emphasized his efforts to involve Martin in the adaptation process, stating, "I made every effort to include George in the adaptation process. I really did. Over years and years. And we really enjoyed a mutually fruitful, I thought, really strong collaboration for a long time. But at some point, as we got deeper down the road, he just became unwilling to acknowledge the practical issues at hand in a reasonable way."
He further elaborated on the complexities of his role as a showrunner, balancing creative and practical responsibilities: "And I think as a showrunner, I have to keep my practical producer hat on and my creative writer, lover-of-the-material hat on at the same time. At the end of the day, I just have to keep marching not only the writing process forward, but also the practical parts of the process forward for the sake of the crew, the cast, and for HBO, because that's my job. So I can only hope that George and I can rediscover that harmony someday."
Condal highlighted the lengthy decision-making process in television, which can take "many months, if not years," and stressed that all creative choices pass through him before reaching the screen. He aims to create a show that appeals not only to Game of Thrones readers but also to a broader television audience.
Despite the tensions, HBO and Martin continue to collaborate on future projects, including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which Martin has described as a "faithful adaptation." Additionally, there are hopes for another Targaryen-centered spinoff. Meanwhile, House of the Dragon has begun production on its third season, following a successful second season that earned a 7/10 in our review.
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