Summary
Besides hoping forwriting updates from legendary author George R.R. Martin, fans enjoy hearing what he thinks of HBO’sGame of Thronesadaptation. WithHouse of the Dragonseason 3 is on the way,showrunner Ryan Condal is opening up about Martin’s criticisms of the popular prequel.
In an interview withEntertainment Weeklyon March 31st, 2025, Condal discussed Martin’s August and September 2024 posts on his LiveJournal account,Not A Blog, where Martin was critical ofHouse of the Dragon. Although he deleted those posts, fans saw them, and knew that he was critical of some creative decisions that were made. Condal toldEntertainment Weeklythat others talked to him about the posts, but he didn’t read them himself. Condal praised Martin’s work and called him “a literary icon” and “personal hero” and said, “It was disappointing.”
Condal addressed his relationship with Martin and said:
“I made every effort to include George in the adaptation process. I really did. Over years and years.”
Condal continued that they had a “strong collaboration” for years but:
“he just became unwilling to acknowledge the practical issues at hand in a reasonable way.”
TheHouse of the Dragonshowrunner acknowledged that he has to think about two sides:being a producer who has to think about how to logically tell a story within the context of a TV showand also being a writer who is a fan ofGame of Thrones. Condal said he had to progress with the show. He concluded by saying he"can only hope that George and I can rediscover that harmony someday."
House of the Dragonmade changes toFire and Bloodand several fans were alsocritical of the show’s second season. But as Condal explained, a lot of decisions have to be made, and sometimes that means making alterations when adapting source material. In hisEWinterview, Condal also mentioned being aware of the show’s budget and employing “the resources we have right now.” AsVarietyreported,HBO spent approximately $100 million on everyGame of Thronesseason, and everyHouse of the Dragonseason 1 episode was less than $20 million.
House of the Dragonseason 1premiered on HBO on August 21st, 2022and was well-received. Fans enjoyed being able to visit this fascinating world again, and the new dragons were a highlight. The series has an 86% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and 78% on the Popcornmeter, as compared to 89% and 85% forGame of Thrones. Those are fairy high numbers for a prequel or spinoff series, especially once that was so highly anticipated.House of the Dragonseason 2 premiered on June 16th, 2024 and while the first season had 10 episodes, season 2 had 8. The series includes cast membersEmma D’Arcy and Milly Alcock, who play both versions of Rhaenyra Targaryen, along with Steve Toussaint, Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, and Eve Best.
HBO CEOCasey Bloys previously commented on Martin’s blog postsand the professional relationship that theHouse of the Dragonteam had with the author.Martin was even critical of the dragonsand he has spoken quite a lot about his least favorite aspects of the prequel series. However,Martin likes the upcoming prequelA Knight of the Seven Kingdomsand praised it for staying true to the source material.
TV Linereported thatHouse of the Dragonseason 3 is now in production, as of Monday March 31st, 2025. The third season will also have two new faces: Dan Fogler and Tommy Flanagan. Fans are definitely looking forward to seeing the new episodes. As of this writing,there is no release date forHouse of the Dragonseason 3.
