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George R.R. Martin hints at House of the Dragon troubles, promises to share ‘everything that’s gone wrong’

Famed author George R.R. Martin has long endorsed the big-budget Game of Thrones prequel, until now, issuing a brutal statement.

House Of The Dragon airs graphic incest sex scene (HBO)

George R.R. Martin has for the first time hinted at major troubles behind the scenes of HBO’s House of the Dragon.

In a recent blog post on his website, the legendary Game of Thrones author and HotD co-creator said he plans to detail “everything that’s gone wrong” with the prequel series.

His post spoke mostly about a Santa Fe festival he attended and his vacation to Belfast, however towards the end, he added, “I do not look forward to other posts I need to write, about everything that’s gone wrong with HOUSE OF THE DRAGON … but I need to do that too, and I will. Not today, though.”

George R.R. Martin has promised to share “everything that’s gone wrong” with House of the Dragon. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP
George R.R. Martin has promised to share “everything that’s gone wrong” with House of the Dragon. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP

On a more personal level, Martin added, “I have had a pretty wretched year as well, one full of stress, anger, conflict, and defeat. I need to talk about some of that, and I will, I will … I was away from my computer travelling from July 15 to August 15, so a lot of things that needed saying did not get said.”

Martin’s post is a bit concerning given his public support of all things Game of Thrones over the years, even when the original show diverted from his source material.

The 75-year-old writer had once revealed that GoT showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss made some choices that he wasn’t thrilled about, but he was still overall supportive.

He has also regularly praised House of the Dragon, even recently applauding this season’s fourth episode, saying it contained the best dragon battle ever created. He said, “Our guys knocked this one out of the castle.”

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The Game of Thrones prequel has dropped in ratings for season 2.
The Game of Thrones prequel has dropped in ratings for season 2.

Season 2 received criticism from fans for building up to a major battle that never took place before the season concluded with its eighth episode. The reason for this was that the season was originally planned to be 10 episodes but was reduced to eight by the network and the last two were pushed to Season 3 to cut costs.

There were also several other criticisms including how actors Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke were not involved in any of the action, there was not enough Daemon (Matt Smith), and even that the vibe of the show is nothing like what is portrayed in the books.

Matt Smith as Prince Damon Targaryen and Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen star in HotD.
Matt Smith as Prince Damon Targaryen and Emma D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen star in HotD.

It’s unclear, however, if any of this is what Martin is upset about, considering he created this world and serves as executive producer.

Also, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the ratings were the biggest for any HBO show since Game of Thrones.

Season 2, however, had less viewership than Season 1, which is not what happened with GoT (ratings for which grew each season).

Australian actress Milly Alcock starred in House of the Dragon.
Australian actress Milly Alcock starred in House of the Dragon.

After the recent Season 2 finale, co-creator Ryan Condal said the show will conclude with Season 4 and that Season 3 will begin on a high note.

“We are building to that event that will happen very shortly in terms of the storytelling, and it should be the biggest thing to date that we’ve we’ve pulled off,” he said.

“We just wanted to have the time and the space to do that at a level that is going to excite and satisfy the fans in the way it’s deserved. We also wanted to build some anticipation toward it. So I apologise for the wait, but … with the team that we have together, we’re going to pull off a hell of a win with The Battle of the Gullet.”

This story originally appeared on Decider and was reproduced with permission

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/streaming/george-rr-martin-hints-at-house-of-the-dragon-troubles-promises-to-share-everything-thats-gone-wrong/news-story/bc4a1f0beb3d0cfb562257d02484b13f