For decades, he took up the quill and gave us incredible medieval fantasy tales. George RR Martin, the creator of A Song of Ice and Fire novels, is the godfather of Game of Thrones. The last season of what could have been easily the greatest series in Hollywood history may not have been as good. But that does not mean George RR Martin has any plans of stopping. HBO has already partnered with him and are about to release House of the Dragon on HBO Max, a Game of Thrones prequel show. But the show is not without its fair share of haters. Even George RR Martin has himself come forward to voice his concerns. He is not sure if House of the Dragon could achieve the level of success as Game of Thrones did.
George RR Martin Calls House Of The Dragon A ‘Gamble’
While on an interview with The Independent, George RR Martin opened up about his views on the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel – House of the Dragon. He said that the profession of an author is same as that of a “gambler’s profession”. You never know what may tip the scales in or against your favor. Game of Thrones was a breakout success but that in no way guarantees that the prequel House of the Dragon would be a hit. It could very well end up a major failure.
These were his exact words:
“We’ll see if they accept House of the Dragon as they did Game of Thrones,” George RR Martin says. “It’s different characters. It’s a different time. It’s the same world. It’s a different story. This profession is a gambler’s profession. You tell your story, and then you see whether they’re standing up and applauding or whether they’ve brought some rotten fruit to the theatre that they’re going to now pelt you with. If it is rotten fruit, you’ve just got to duck and run backstage and invent another story to tell the next time. That’s what I do. I’m a storyteller.”
All Is Not Lost: There’s Still Hope For House Of The Dragon
George RR Martin did get a first look at House of the Dragon and he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. A scene in the show reminded of the sequence where Ned Stark and Arya converse while the latter is balancing on one foot on a staircase. While they were filming that scene, it was the first time George RR Martin visited the sets of the show.
Also Read: Why Game of Thrones Fans Need To Give House Of The Dragon A Chance
“It was magical,” added George RR Martin. “It was like: here are my characters, they’ve come to life. They’re saying the things they said. The scene is pretty much as I imagined it when I wrote it. There’s nothing like that.”
George RR Martin Says Today’s Audience Is Very Thin-Skinned
The only constant in life is change. When you are an author, that is the single, most important ally by your side. You need to constantly reshuffle the characters and renew the story arc for a new chapter and a new beginning. All of it is in the quest of keeping things fresh and intriguing. But George RR Martin claims not many fans realize that. The fan base going up in arms even if there is a slight change in the source material.
“You hear controversies about some of the Marvel shows and the Marvel movies, certainly about the DC characters. It used to be if you were a fan of Star Trek, you liked Star Trek. Now it seems like half the people who call themselves Star Trek fans hate Star Trek, and the Star Wars fans hate Star Wars, and the Tolkien fans hate Rings of Power. What the hell? Now maybe it’s because it’s changing, but as a writer you’d go crazy if you didn’t change it somehow. You want to tell new stories, not tell the same stories over and over again.”
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House of the Dragon is set to hit HBO Max on August 21 this year. Based on the exploits of House Targaryen, the show features prominent stars like Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke and Milly Alcock in pivotal roles.
