HBO has responded to comments made by author George R.R.
Martin that criticized creative choices made on the network’s show “House of the Dragon,” which is based on Martin’s 2018 novel “Fire & Blood.” In a blog post that appears to have been taken down, Martin raised several issues with creative decisions that showrunner Ryan Condal and HBO made in their TV adaptation of his book.
According to Variety and screenshots of Martin’s comments, his criticism stemmed mostly from the choice to omit the toddler-aged son of Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) and King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) named Maelor.
Not having the child in the show reduced the emotional impact of some pivotal scenes that were part of this season and will do so again down the line, according to Martin.
The comments comes after Martin wrote in a separate blog post last week that he had planned to publish a post outlining his thoughts on “everything that’s gone wrong” with “Dragon.” On Wednesday, HBO issued a statement in response to Martin, who serves as a co-creator and an executive producer of the series.
(HBO, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros.
“There are few greater fans of George R.R.
Martin and his book ‘Fire & Blood’ than the creative team on ‘House of the Dragon,’ both in production and at HBO.
And we decided that we were going to lean into it and try to make it a strength, instead of playing it as a weakness,” Condal added.
“House of the Dragon” debuted in 2022 and stars Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy and Matt Smith, among others.
HBO has reacted to writer George R.R’s remarks. Martin, who published a novel in 2018 titled “Fire and Blood,” expressed disapproval of the artistic decisions made in the network series “House of the Dragon.”. “.
Martin brought up a number of concerns about the artistic choices made by HBO and showrunner Ryan Condal in their TV adaptation of his book in a blog post that seems to have been removed. Martin’s criticism primarily stemmed from the decision to leave out Maelor, the toddler son of Helaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) and King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney), according to screenshots of his remarks and Variety. Martin claims that not having the child in the show lessened the emotional impact of some crucial moments that were included in this season and will do so in the future.
The comments follow Martin’s announcement last week in a different blog post that he intended to write a post detailing his opinions on “everything that’s gone wrong” with “Dragon.”. “.
HBO responded to Martin, the series’ co-creator and executive producer, with a statement on Wednesday. Warner Bros. is the owner of both CNN and HBO. Finding. ).
Few people are bigger fans of George R.R than me. Martin and the authors of “Fire & Blood” are superior to the HBO creative team working on “House of the Dragon,” both during production. Usually, the showrunner has to make tough decisions regarding the characters and narratives that the audience will follow when adapting a book for the screen, given its unique structure and constraints,” the statement stated.
“We believe Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job,” the statement continued, “and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it.”. “.
CNN has contacted Martin’s representative to request a statement.
“Fire & Blood” takes place in the same world as George R.R. Martin’s well-known book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” which inspired eight seasons of the television series “Game of Thrones.”. The history of the Targaryen dynasty is summarized in the stand-alone book.
The consequences of removing Maelor would probably only be apparent to readers of the book, according to Martin’s blog post from Wednesday, which Variety reports said viewers who had never read the book “would still find the scenes heart-rendering.”. “.
Speaking on Wednesday’s episode of “The Official Game of Thrones Podcast: House of the Dragon,” Condal, for his part, had previously admitted to having decided to write Maelor off the series. He explained that “we had to make some compromises in rendering that story so that we didn’t have to recast the entire cast multiple times due to the character’s young age and the passage of time.”. “.
There was a knock-on effect. Instead of viewing it as a weakness, we made the decision to embrace it and work to turn it into a strength,” Condal continued.
“House of the Dragon,” which debuted in 2022, features a cast that includes Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, and Matt Smith.
