Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin comments on his future with the growing television franchise. Martin’s fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, began with the publication of A Game of Thrones in 1996. Subsequent novels were published every few years, with a six-year gap between the fourth and fifth books. In 2006, screenwriters D.B. Weiss and David Benioff approached Martin about adapting his novels into a television series. Eventually, Game of Thrones premiered on HBO in 2011—the same year A Dance with Dragons, the fifth—and, still, latest—installment of ASOIAF arrived on shelves.
Despite the conclusion of Game of Thrones in 2019, HBO Max is far from done with Westeros. Several live-action spin-offs have either been announced or leaked as in development, including a Jon Snow sequel starring Kit Harrington, an adaptation of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Tales of Dunk and Egg), shows focused on the Sea Snake’s nine voyages, Flea Bottom, and this year’s House of the Dragon—which is loosely based on Martin’s Fire & Blood and details the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. There are also a handful of animated projects in the works. With Game of Thrones becoming like the MCU, its creator has opened up about his relationship with the TV franchise.
In a recent interview with THR, Martin discussed the expansion of the Game of Thrones media franchise. As the author continues working towards the completion of his ASOIAF series, he muses about his future with the live-action franchise. Read what he had to say below:
“Sometimes I sit around trying to figure out who the hell I am in this whole scenario. Am I George Lucas? Am I Gene Roddenberry? Am I Stan Lee? How do I relate to this IP? Because those are three different stories as to where they wound up—Which would you want to be?”
“I don’t know. Not Stan Lee at the end. He had no power, no influence. He wasn’t writing any stories. He couldn’t say, ‘Don’t do this character.’ He was just a friendly person they brought to conventions and who did cameos. To be sidelined on the world and characters that you created, that would be tough.”
Very often, creators end up relinquishing the rights to their IP. Roddenberry lost control of Star Trek and Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012. While Lee’s Marvel characters have thrived in the MCU, his creative control on the movies was limited. Naturally, Martin would be concerned about the future of Westeros, which is further complicated by anticipation surrounding ASOIAF’s final two books. When Game of Thrones first premiered, Martin appeared confident he’d be able to finish work on The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring before the show ran its course. Unfortunately, the series did run out of source material and its later seasons suffered without Martin’s inspiration.
If Game of Thrones’ divisive final season proved anything, it’s that the franchise is better off taking its time and adhering to Martin’s meticulously crafted world. In what is arguably Game of Thrones’ prime, Martin served as an occasional screenwriter on the series. Now, Martin appears involved with the franchise’s expansion. House of the Dragon’s showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan Condal made a point of getting Martin’s stamp of approval on all 10 episodes. With an Iron Throne faithful to its description in A Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon season 2 is already looking likely.
Source: THR