The team behind House Of The Dragon has addressed criticism levelled at the show by Game Of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin.
Last week, the Game Of Thrones author shared a blog on his website, in which he teased that he had a few things to say about “everything that’s gone wrong with House Of The Dragon”.
He then shared a follow-up post, which has since been removed, airing some of his grievances with the latest TV adaptation of his work.
Martin specifically recalled arguments with showrunner Ryan Condal about the decision to remove the character Prince Maelor from the show completely, which he felt would affect storylines later down the line.
“They did not want to deal with casting another child, especially a two-year old toddler,” he alleged. “Kids that young will inevitably slow down production, and there would be budget implications. Budget was already an issue on House Of The Dragon, it made sense to save money wherever we could.”
After being told that Maelor could still be introduced later down the line, Martin “withdrew my objections and acquiesced to the change”, but he later discovered there are no plans for the character to emerge.
The Guardian reported that Martin then “laid out, in detail, major plot spoilers” about how Maelor’s absence will affect storylines for the next two seasons of House Of The Dragon.
“It’s simplest, yes, and may make sense in terms of budgets and shooting schedules. But simpler is not better,” he insisted, alluding to “are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if House Of The Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons three and four”.
US broadcaster HBO has since responded, with a spokesperson saying: “Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow.
“We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it.”
When House Of The Dragon premiered in 2022, Martin made it clear he was a fan, describing the show as “dark”, “powerful” and “visceral” – “just the way I like my epic fantasy”.
He also shared how the prequel series had fixed one of his biggest gripes with the original Game Of Thrones show.
When House Of The Dragon returned after a two-year absence in June 2024, it was initially well-received by fans, although by the time the finale arrived, some lamented that it felt more like a set-up for the upcoming third series than its own stand-alone story.