George R.R. Martin Kept Out of the Loop from the Last Four Seasons of Game of Thrones

George R.R. Martin, a man popularly known for “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, is undoubtedly one of the most prominent personalities in the Game of Thrones world.

George R.R was the man who created the highly successful book series and then collaborated with HBO to create Game of Thrones, arguably the greatest adaptation of a book series ever. It took no time for the books as well as the TV series to help Martin create history and gain popularity worldwide.

Streaming giants like HBO Max and other TV providers have been looking for a spin-off worthy of the Throne as the name has a ring to it. They have at last found it with the forthcoming “House of the Dragon.”

Martin is the originator of the spin-off and it is based on Martin’s historical novel which was published in 2018. Games of Thrones prequel production work has been finished and it is all set to release on Aug 21 on HBO Max. The film is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, a history of the House Targaryen family and the subsequent civil war set 300 years prior to the Game of Thrones. 

It was also officially announced by the houseofdragontv account on Twitter:

Fire will reign.
August 21. #HouseoftheDragon pic.twitter.com/9uR0VpTfF6

— House of the Dragon (@houseofdragontv) June 22, 2022

While the success of the “Game of Thrones” series can be attributed to Martin, the prequel is also expected to be at par with the previous series, if not better. However, the last few seasons of Game of Thrones were not as good as the fans had expected, and the fact that Martin was not involved in them has recently surfaced.

Author George R.R. Martin has spoken up about the fact that he wasn’t a part of the creative decisions made for the last few seasons of Game of Thrones, and this has seemingly disappointed many fans worldwide.

While giving an interview to New York Times, The 73-year-old Martin, who wrote the collection of fantasy books on which the television series was based, claimed he wasn’t particularly involved in the series’ final seasons. 

The first two books of “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings, were mostly covered in Seasons 1 and 2 of Game of Thrones. The third and fourth seasons link to the third book “A Storm of Swords.” The television show also has content from the next two books, “A Feast For Crows” and “A Dance With Dragons.”

The TV show’s seventh and eighth seasons eclipsed Martin’s story in the books. He has stated that he completed the novels in ways that are different from how the TV series ended.

He said, “By Season 5 and 6, and certainly 7 and 8, I was pretty much out of the loop. Why? I don’t know — you have to ask (show producers) Dan and David,” referring to Daniel Weiss and David Benioff. As per the report, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss refused to comment.

Martin mentioned his forthcoming novel, “The Winds of Winter” on his website last month:

“Yes, some of the things you saw on HBO in GAME OF THRONES, you will also see in THE WINDS OF WINTER (though maybe not in quite the same ways)… but much of the rest will be quite different.”

Martin’s last part of his series was published in 2011, with the HBO TV series which helped the story gain more popularity and attention. This has also caused some people to complain in a bad-tempered way about the 73-year-old’s novel ending.

Have you read Martin’s book series, and what was your reaction to the TV series ending? Let us know!

As soon as Martin got to know about the complaint, he addressed that in his post:

“Another question that I get a lot, especially since the end of GAME OF THRONES on HBO, is whether A SONG OF ICE & FIRE, will end the same way. An architect would be able to give a short, concise, simple answer to that, but I am much more of a gardener. My stories grow and evolve and change as I write them. I generally know where I am going, sure… the final destinations, the big set pieces, they have been in my head for years… for decades, in the case of A SONG OF ICE & FIRE. There are lots of devils in the details, though, and sometimes the ground changes under my feet as the words pour forth.”

That means the production team is still working for The Winds of Winter and Martin choose to remain silent and not give a detailed update.

Martin added, “What I have noticed more and more of late, however, is my gardening is taking me further and further away from the television series. Yes, some of the things you saw on HBO in GAME OF THRONES you will also see in THE WINDS OF WINTER (though maybe not in quite the same ways)… but much of the rest will be quite different. And really, when you think about it, this was inevitable.”

House of the Dragon will undoubtedly benefit from the presence of George R.R. Martin and his input on the series. Fans can only hope that the spinoff lives up to the high points of the original, which saw some of the most significant successes we’ve witnessed from a television series. House of the Dragon arrives on HBO and HBO Max on Aug 21. If you reside in a region where HBO Max is not available, here’s how you can watch HBO Max outside USA.