Ryan Condal, showrunner and executive producer of House of the Dragon, has detailed how much Fire and Blood author George R.R. Martin was involved in the script-writing stage for Game of Thrones’ prequel. Their work relationship goes back to 2013 when they both were working on the Game of Thrones series together. Martin, as House of the Dragon's credits mention, is also an executive producer on the show. The first season ended its 10-episode run on October 24 and explores the dynamics of lust for ruling and desires for power within the Targaryen family and showcases how the tragic Dance of the Dragon unfolds.
The cast portraying royals and their allies (or enemies) is a large ensemble of talented actors and includes names such as Paddy Considine (Peaky Blinders) as King Viserys and Matt Smith (Doctor Who, The Crown) as Prince Daemon Targaryen. While Milly Alcock and Emily Carey as young Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower, respectively, Olivia Cooke and Emma D’Arcy play their adult versions that will stay for the following season.
In an interview with Deadline, Condal details how the author of the source material for House of the Dragon was involved initially, but the dynamics changed with time. He explains Martin was available along with a group of writers at the start of the project, none of whom continued to work once the show officially got picked up. While the former does his best to keep the writer informed about the show’s progression and shares all the material, including outlines, scripts, cuts, messages, and inquiries like, “Why did you do this? What does this mean? Who is this person?”, Martin seems like “a very busy guy”. Condal adds, “He’s very active and reads a lot and gives a lot of feedback. Other times he just sort of defers and says, go with the Gods.” Read Condal's full comments below:
It’s really hard for him to engage with us at the pace that we would need him to, to weigh in on every single little decision. The train is moving too fast. But he always knows what’s going on. That’s the thing that I promised him from the beginning: I might not always do exactly the thing that he wants me to do, but we will always talk about it. We will always have the discussion, and I’ve honored that.
How Martin's Involvement Is Important For House Of The Dragon
From starting out just as a fan of Martin to involving him as a co-creator on the show, Condal makes it a point to keep him in the loop of the majority of creative processes. Martin agreed, when, in one of his blog posts right before the debut of the Game of Thrones successor series, he mentioned that he had seen all ten episodes (albeit in rough cuts), and had loved them. House of the Dragon, he said, “is all I hoped it would be; dark, powerful, visceral, disturbing, stunning to look at, peopled with complex and very human characters brought to life by some truly amazing actors.” However, this is in stark contrast to how it panned out for Martin in the later seasons of Game of Thrones. According to him, he was deliberately kept out of the loop, which, in turn, did not sit well with either the fans of the show or Martin. He ultimately had regret seeing Game of Thrones get ahead of his books.
The fact that Condal is actively keeping the acclaimed author involved, and considering his vision by way of his approval and feedback at various developmental stages of House of the Dragon season 1 goes to show how smooth the making of the show has been. This will be significant going into the development of House of the Dragon season 2. This clarity not just adds to the current progression of the multiple storylines, but is also in tandem with the talent which is currently gearing up for the second season. As Martin’s Not A Blog post says, “But right now, Ryan Condal’s focus is on House of the Dragon season 2, and mine is on The Winds of Winter."
Source: Deadline