George R.R. Martin, the creator of the epic book series A Song of Ice and Fire, laments that HBO’s Game of Thrones went beyond the novels and took his characters down contentious paths. Good morning, George, two years have passed since the cursed finale, and we’re all still extremely sorry for the way those things have ended up.
Martin told Chicago’s PBS station that HBO’s deal had far more good effects on his life than negative ones. However, the “greatest fault” is that the TV adaptation of his magnum work advanced too quickly and eventually got ahead of the novels. A Song of Ice and Fire has four books that had already been released by the time Martin signed a contract with HBO.
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A Dance with Dragons, the fifth book in the series, was released in July 2011, just a few months after Game of Thrones began on HBO. Martin has been working on the next part, The Winds of Winter, since then, but there is no clue when it will be finished. Martin now adds, “Looking back, I wish I’d stayed ahead of the books.”
How did Martin still manage to help the writers’ especially regarding the ending of the series?
Martin continued to feed the writers’ room tidbits of knowledge, particularly about the series’ eventual ending. Without the subsequent novels to back them up, Game of Thrones’ writers made modifications that snowballed over time, resulting in a rushed and unsatisfactory finale.
The Game of Thrones finale infuriated fans so much that Martin has previously stated that his book’s ending will be different on many occasions. And when are we going to be able to read the conclusion? “I’m still working on the book,” Martin says, “but you’ll see my ending when it comes out.”
What was his reaction to the whole affair?
“When they started that series, I already had four books in print, and the fifth one came out just before the series began in 2011. I had a five-book advantage. And, as you know, these are massive books.
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I never expected them to catch up with me, but they did. They caught up with me and passed me, which was unusual because the show was now ahead of me, and the show was going in somewhat different directions.”
What is Martin currently working on?
Martin is now collaborating with HBO on a Game of Thrones prequel series centred on the Targaryens. The series, titled House of the Dragon, is set to premiere in 2022. HBO is now discussing several spin-offs, with at least one confirmed to become a series: 1000 Ships, which follows the famous Princess Nymeria.
