When HBO greenlit ‘House of the Dragon‘, they probably didn’t expect the biggest battle to unfold off-screen. The ongoing feud between ‘A Song of Ice and Fire‘ author George R.R. Martin and showrunner Ryan Condal is beginning to rival the tension between Queen Alicent Hightower and Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. And now, after weeks of speculation, Condal has finally broken his silence.
Ryan Condal Reacts To George R.R. Martin’s ‘House Of The Dragon’ Complaints
With production for season 3 of ‘House of the Dragon‘ officially in motion, Condal has addressed the controversy surrounding Martin’s dissatisfaction with certain storylines in season 2. Fans will recall the infamous ‘Blood and Cheese‘ episode, one of the darkest moments in Westerosi history, which stirred strong reactions. While many believed it stayed true to ‘Fire & Blood’, Martin had reservations about deviations from his novel, and he made them known in a now-deleted blog post. The post criticized key character omissions and the ripple effect these changes could have in future seasons, setting the internet on fire.
Related: George R.R. Martin Reveals The One Thing He Wants To Change About His Iconic Book Series
In a recent interview with EW, Condal admitted that Martin’s public critique was tough to digest. “It was disappointing. I will simply say I’ve been a fan of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ for almost 25 years now, and working on the show has been truly one of the great privileges of, not only my career as a writer, but my life as a fan of science-fiction and fantasy. George himself is a monument, a literary icon in addition to a personal hero of mine, and was heavily influential on me coming up as a writer.”
Martin Was “Unwilling To Acknowledge The Practical Issues”
The drama behind ‘House of the Dragon‘ echoes a classic dilemma: an author unhappy with an adaptation of their own work. While die-hard fans often side with Martin, the reality might be more nuanced. Condal, a longtime admirer of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire‘, sought out Martin’s blessing to adapt ‘Fire & Blood’ and was handpicked by the author himself. But as the series evolved, tensions grew.
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In the same interview, Condal shed light on the crux of their disagreement: “I will simply say, I made every effort to include George in the adaptation process. I really did. Over years and years. And we really enjoyed a mutually fruitful, I thought, really strong collaboration for a long time. But at some point, as we got deeper down the road, he just became unwilling to acknowledge the practical issues at hand in a reasonable way.”
“And I think as a showrunner, I have to keep my practical producer hat on and my creative writer, lover-of-the-material hat on at the same time. At the end of the day, I just have to keep marching not only the writing process forward, but also the practical parts of the process forward for the sake of the crew, the cast, and for HBO, because that’s my job. So I can only hope that George and I can rediscover that harmony someday. But that’s what I have to say about it.”
The ‘Fire & Blood’ Adaptation Condal Always Wanted
Despite widespread debate, this is ‘House of the Dragon‘ as Condal envisioned it. While Martin fixated on the omission of minor character Prince Maelor, who plays a crucial role later in ‘Fire & Blood’, Condal argues that every change was made with careful thought.
“There’s nothing we do on the show without talking it through and thinking about it very deeply for usually many months, if not years. I will just say that the creative decisions that we make in the show all flow through me, every single one of them, and this is the show that I want to make and believe, as a fan of ‘Fire & Blood’ and a deep reader of this material, it is the adaptation that we should be making to not only serve ‘Fire & Blood,’ but also a massive television audience.“
Though Condal’s response may not mend fences with Martin or satisfy every fan, it’s clear he stands by his creative choices. As season three gears up, one thing remains certain: the real drama behind ‘House of the Dragon‘ is just as compelling as the one unfolding in Westeros.
