George R.R. Martin is the brilliant mind behind the mega-popular fantasy book series, A Song of Ice and Fire, so it was no surprise that the author was heavily involved with its TV adaptation, Game of Thrones. The series, developed by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, became a pop-culture juggernaut for HBO in the years that followed its 2011 release. Despite the show's success, Martin stopped writing for the show after season 4 and the reasoning was justified in the eyes of book lovers.
Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire debuted in 1996 with the first entry in the fantasy series, A Game of Thrones. During the next decade and a half, Martin released four more novels in the series. HBO purchased the rights to the books in 2007 and spent years developing a worthy adaptation until it premiered in April 2011. The fictional world of Westeros became the setting of the show and introduced a set of noble families vying for the Iron Throne to a new segment of fans. Martin's fifth book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, released the same year as the TV series but he has yet to unveil the planned sequel, The Winds of Winter.
According to Game of Thrones' credits, Martin served as a co-executive producer on the show. He also assisted in scriptwriting for four episodes including season 1's "The Pointy End," season 2's "Blackwater," season 3's "The Bear and the Maiden Fair," and season 4's "The Lion and the Rose." It seemed as though Martin signed on to write at least one episode per season but that trend ended after season 4. Martin's departure from writing on the series happened around the same time that the plot began veering off in a different direction from the novels. Game of Thrones outpaced Martin's books so Benioff and Weiss no longer relied strictly on Martin's material. Martin shared the outline for the future of his fantasy series, but without those published sequels, the reins were handed over.
Martin Couldn't Write His Book & TV Episodes At The Same Time
Martin decided to take a step back on the TV show so that he could remain focused on writing The Winds of Winter. The author has been outspoken about the time it takes to write a script, claiming it took a minimum of three weeks. Martin also shared that he struggles when he switches back and forth between mediums. It didn't help that both projects were set in the same fictional universe where the storylines didn't match up. Even though Game of Thrones ended and Martin still hasn't finished his latest book, he claimed that shifting focus would have delayed the book even further.
Prioritizing The Winds of Winter over Game of Thrones on HBO may have seemed like a logical choice. That said, the drastically different directions that Benioff and Weiss were taking the series could have been a major turnoff for Martin. He has shared his criticism regarding certain aspects of the show including characterizations, shortened dialogue, and cut characters. Martin may have felt that he should step back since he wasn't in complete control. In the end, Martin shared that he envisioned Bran as the king of Westeros and the TV series stood by that idea.