The upcoming third season of House of the Dragon promises a huge battle on screen, but a conflict behind the scenes has been even more dramatic. Author George R.R. Martin recently told The Hollywood Reporter that his working relationship with the show’s creator, Ryan Condal, was “terrible.” After the season two finale, Martin published a blog post criticizing Condal and the direction of seasons three and four, even sharing key plot details to make his concerns known. An HBO executive reportedly called him shortly after, and the blog post was quickly taken down.
Martin told The Hollywood Reporter he removed a post about House of the Dragon because he didn’t want to appear indecisive. He felt that while most of the feedback was positive, people zeroed in on the negative aspects. He had praised the early episodes of season two, calling them well-written, directed, and acted, but he strongly criticized the choices made regarding the ‘Blood and Cheese’ storyline – a plotline many viewers disliked anyway. This post was just one of six he’d planned to write detailing his issues with the show.
The situation led to HBO temporarily removing George R.R. Martin from involvement in House of the Dragon before reinstating him months later. According to an HBO source who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter, George and Ryan Condal disagreed about the plans for season three, and the way they were communicating and working together needed to be fixed. Martin didn’t directly address the conflict, but he did discuss his relationship with Condal. He said their collaboration began to fall apart during season two, when Condal allegedly stopped taking his input. Eventually, HBO told Martin to send his ideas to them, and they would then share a combined set of notes with Condal.
Ryan Condal hasn’t commented further, but referred back to a previous interview with Entertainment Weekly where he discussed the difficulties with the show’s direction. He stated he tried his best to involve George R.R. Martin in the adaptation process, but Martin became resistant to addressing the practical challenges. While both Martin and viewers may have criticisms of House of the Dragon, Condal has a point. Fire & Blood is a complex book to adapt for television. Unlike the more traditional narrative structure of A Song of Ice and Fire or A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, it presents a sprawling history with many characters, perspectives, dragons, and battles spanning decades. Ultimately, Martin and Condal need to find a way to collaborate and recognize that the biggest obstacle is the show’s budget.
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2026-01-16 01:54