House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal has labeled Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin's criticisms of the series' second season as "disappointing" following remarks the author made public last year.
The drama within the Game of Thrones universe escalated when Martin promised to delve into "everything that's gone wrong with House of the Dragon" in August 2024. He fulfilled this promise by highlighting plot elements concerning Aegon and Helaena's children and expressing worries about the trajectory of future seasons. The post was later removed from Martin's website without any explanation, but not before it was seen by thousands of fans and HBO.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Condal shared his thoughts on Martin's criticisms, revealing that the most painful aspect for him is the strained relationship with the Game of Thrones creator.
"It was disappointing," he said. "I've been a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire for nearly 25 years, and working on this show has been one of the greatest privileges of my career as a writer and my life as a fan of science fiction and fantasy. George is not only a literary icon but a personal hero who greatly influenced my development as a writer."Condal acknowledged that it can be disappointing for Martin and fans when House of the Dragon diverges from its source material, Fire & Blood. However, he noted that adapting beloved books for television often leads to complex situations.
"It's an incomplete history that requires connecting the dots and a lot of creative invention along the way," he added. "I made every effort to involve George in the adaptation process over the years. We had a fruitful and strong collaboration for a long time. But as we progressed, he became unwilling to address the practical challenges in a reasonable manner."
Condal further explained the obstacles they faced: "As a showrunner, I must wear both my practical producer hat and my creative writer, lover-of-the-material hat simultaneously. At the end of the day, I have to keep the writing and production processes moving forward for the sake of the crew, the cast, and HBO, because that's my job. I hope George and I can find that harmony again someday."Condal emphasized that each creative decision takes "many months, if not years" to finalize, and all decisions pass through him before reaching the audience. His goal is to create a show that appeals not only to Game of Thrones readers but also to a "massive television audience."
Despite some strains in HBO's relationship with Martin over the years, they have several upcoming collaborations. While a few projects have been shelved since Game of Thrones' success, fans can look forward to projects like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which Martin has already praised as a "faithful adaptation," and potentially another Targaryen-centered spinoff.
Meanwhile, House of the Dragon has started production on Season 3, following a successful second season that we rated 7/10 in our review.
