Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin is indicating some trouble behind the scenes of the prequel/spin-off series House of the Dragon. Based on parts of Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and follows the infamous “Dance with Dragons,” a war of succession with House Targaryen. The series debuted on HBO on August 21, 2022, and was a huge hit with critics and most audiences, showing that Game of Thrones still had a large fanbase despite a controversial finale. Season 2, though, received a worse audience reaction.
In his blog, George R.R. Martin, a man who is never shy about sharing his opinions, recently wrote that he is not looking forward to the day when he must write about what went wrong with the Game of Thrones spin-off series. While he did not get into specifics about the series, the timing of his comment certainly seems pointed at the Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon, which concluded on August 4, 2024. House of the Dragon is set to return for Season 3 in 2026. Read Martin’s cryptic quote below:
“I do not look forward to other posts I need to write, about
everything that’s gone wrong with House of the Dragon
… but I need to do that too, and I will. Not today, though.”
Martin also hinted at some personal turmoil, which may involve how his work is being adapted:
This has not been a good year for anyone, with war everywhere and fascism on the rise… and on a more personal level, I have had a pretty wretched year as well, one full of stress, anger, conflict, and defeat.
A House Divided Against Itself
Martin’s comments are a sharp contrast to his praise for House of the Dragon Season 2’s opening episode earlier this year. Yet Martin being critical of a series is certainly not new. He also recently critiqued adaptations that fall short of expectations by changing the source material, saying they “never make it better.” Many took that as Martin making a jab at Game of Thrones creator David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for how they handled the final season of his series. In Benioff and Weiss’ defense, they did not have the books to adapt, as Martin has notably delayed the publication of The Winds of Winter, so they had no material to use. Martin’s comment now rings as a shot against House of the Dragon.
Some of the issues Martin has teased could be due to some behind-the-scenes factors audiences already know a bit about. Just a week after House of the Dragon premiered, showrunner and director Miguel Sapochnik stepped down from his duties, with co-creator Ryan Condal taking over show running duties for Season 2. While it was initially reported that Sapochnik stepped down due to exhaustion from having spent three years developing the prequel series, in June 2023, reports circulated that he stepped down when HBO refused to make his wife, actress Alexis Raben, an additional producer for Season 2, citing her lack of experience.
House of the Dragon has already been renewed for two additional seasons, and it is confirmed that Season 4 will be the final one. HBO certainly is not going to call it quits on Martin’s work in Westeros, as they have more spin-off series in development. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based on Martin’s novellas Tales of Dunk and Egg, will air its first season in 2025 to fill the gap between House of the Dragon Season 2 and Season 3. Given Martin’s track record with HBO adapting his material, it is safe to assume he will praise it initially before airing his frustrations with it.