HBO execs were “frustrated but not surprised” by George R.R. Martin’s post criticizing House of the Dragon Season 2 changes

The response to House of the Dragon Season 2 has been less enthusiastic compared to its debut season, largely due to significant deviations from George R. R. Martin‘s book, Fire & Blood, which have been openly criticized by Martin himself. Despite justified grievances from both him and the audience, HBO continues to uphold its creative decisions for the Game of Thrones prequel.

HBO anticipated George R.R. Martin’s stance on House of the Dragon

Martin’s recent comments on the changes sparked a huge controversy, shaking the fandom at its core. However, for HBO, it wasn’t anything new. A source at The Hollywood Reporter indicated that executives were “frustrated but not surprised” by the developments. There has been growing tension between Martin and HBO, with the author having expressed his concerns privately for some time. Additionally, the network released a statement affirming its support for Condal’s “extraordinary” work.

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Showrunner Ryan Condal called the changes a “compromise”

After George R. R. Martin’s outburst over his deleted post regarding the alterations in House of the Dragon, Condal appeared on the show’s official podcast. He discussed Maelor, the youngest son of Aegon II and Helaena, stating,

“Maelor who is– who is the third son, who’s a little older in the book, would have been an infant because of the age of Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. And, you know, frankly, this goes back to our first season and trying to adapt a story that takes place over 20 years of history, instead of a story that takes place over 30 years of history.”

“And we had to make some compromises in rendering that story so that we didn’t have to recast the whole cast multiple times and really, just frankly, lose people. I mean, we were walking right up against the line with it in season one, and I think we did– I think we did a really great job. And I think the response to season one sort of extolls that.”

Read More: Ryan Condal doesn’t think Blood and Cheese episode is like the Red Wedding

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