George R.R. Martin has been very vocal about his criticism of HBO’s House of the Dragon’s faithfulness to the novel, and recently, he made a controversial post targeting the major changes that Ryan Condal and his team did on the show. Unfortunately, the author deleted it as soon as it gained traction.
Nonetheless, he notably voiced this concern a few years ago, and he even had fellow writer Neil Gaiman share the same sentiment on their works being adapted for screen. They are both against the idea of someone else claiming their stories and making them their own.
George R.R. Martin Slammed Unfaithful TV Adaptations
It’s no secret that House of the Dragon faced backlash after several modifications were applied to the recently concluded second season. The first installment was heavily praised by fans and critics, and even George R.R. Martin commended some of the alterations which somehow improved the narrative. But, there should always be a limit to what showrunners can do to a franchise, especially if it was adapted from someone else’s property.
While speaking at New York City’s Symphony Space in 2022, he discussed the controversial “obligation to be faithful to the written material” issue that’s going on in Hollywood. He highlighted one phrase many television show makers use when adapting stories: “I’m going to make it my own”.
Martin exclaimed, “I hate that phrase. And I think Neil probably hates that phrase, too,” via Variety. The Sandman author Neil Gaiman responded in the affirmative, claiming that he spent 30 years witnessing different people adapt his works on screen and trying to make them their own.
The Game of Thrones author noted that there are certain changes that showrunners are allowed to make, especially when it involves budget constraints or technical difficulties. “There are other ones that are not legitimate,” he finally stated.
One great example was his subject in the now-deleted blog post where he pointed out the repercussions of changing one significant detail in House of the Dragon. The absence of one major character – Maelor Targaryen – will affect the rest of the upcoming season. Some scenes will be impossible to bring to the show, which Martin pointed out is the result of the butterfly effect.
Neil Gaiman Was Satisfied With The Sandman Series
Unlike Martin, Gaiman was able to shut down every attempt at making bad interpretations of The Sandman. It took a very long time for the story to be translated on the screen, and the effort was truly worth the wait. He took great pride and joy in the first season of the Netflix series.
As for House of the Dragon, it seems like Martin and showrunner Ryan Condal are no longer communicating as evidenced by the significant changes occurring within the show. The author previously claimed to have more influence and creative control over the prequel series than in Game of Thrones, but it doesn’t look like the same is happening.
House of the Dragon is currently available to watch on HBO.
