George R.R. Martin’s stories have become central to HBO’s success, starting with the huge popularity of Game of Thrones in 2011, continuing with the strong launch of House of the Dragon, and with another series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, planned for 2026. Although Martin has expressed support for the new prequel and is steadily working on the next books in the Game of Thrones series, he recently described his working relationship with House of the Dragon’s showrunner, Ryan Condal, as “abysmal.”
It’s been well-known that George R.R. Martin had concerns about House of the Dragon, especially after he publicly criticized Season 2 and pointed out changes made from his book, Fire & Blood. He recently shared details about his working relationship with showrunner Ryan Condal in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Things went downhill fast. It wasn’t just a rough patch, it was terrible. I brought Ryan on board, and we started as true partners. We had a great working relationship during the first season – I’d review script drafts and offer feedback, and he’d often make changes. It felt like a really good collaboration. But when we started season two, he pretty much stopped taking my input.
Ryan Condal initially led House of the Dragon alongside Miguel Sapochnik, a director and producer known for Game of Thrones. However, Sapochnik unexpectedly left the show in early 2023. The second season of the show began to diverge noticeably from the source material right away, most clearly with changes made to the well-known “Blood and Cheese” scene. Author George R.R. Martin even commented on these alterations in a 2024 blog post. He then continued to explain:
As a film enthusiast, it was incredibly frustrating. I’d offer suggestions, but they just wouldn’t be acted on. Sometimes I’d get an explanation, other times just a vague ‘I’ll think about it.’ It steadily got worse, and honestly, I started getting really annoyed. Eventually, HBO stepped in and suggested I send all my notes directly to them, and they’d consolidate them with Ryan’s – which felt like a workaround, but I was happy to try anything at that point.
George R.R. Martin’s blog post criticizing the ‘Blood and Cheese’ storyline change – a change with major consequences for a character later in the series – was taken down shortly after it was published. An HBO executive reached out to Martin’s team, who then alerted his manager and assistant to remove the post. Despite this, Martin maintains he doesn’t regret what he said, as he later explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
Honestly, taking it down felt awful, but leaving it up would’ve made me look totally foolish. It’s just frustrating because most of the feedback was actually positive – like, eighty percent! But nobody seemed to care about that; they zeroed in on the negative stuff, and I wasn’t about to let that stand.
Months after receiving criticism from George R.R. Martin, HBO CEO Casey Bloys offered a measured response, explaining that Ryan Condal was simply making creative choices while adapting the source material, and that some challenges are normal in any creative project. The following year, Condal was more direct, stating that as the show progressed, Martin became unwilling to address the real-world difficulties they faced in a practical manner.
Right now, we’re all waiting to see how closely House of the Dragon Season 3 will follow the source material, Fire & Blood, compared to what we saw in Season 2. As someone who has read the book about the Targaryen family, I think even if the show tries to stick to the story more closely, some significant changes will be needed to get back on the right path.
Fans who prefer stories close to the source material will be pleased to hear that A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms stays very true to George R.R. Martin’s original novella. You can catch the first episode of this new Game of Thrones prequel on HBO Sunday, January 18th at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. Because it takes place well after House of the Dragon, you don’t need to watch one show to understand the other.
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2026-01-16 00:39