George R.R. Martin hinted at his disapproval of later seasons of Game of Thrones before the finale aired

The controversy surrounding Game of Thrones season 8 is still vivid in the minds of ardent followers. Fans still can’t get enough of HBO’s lucrative mint, even three years after production was over. After all, the polarising and hurriedly produced final season of the wildly successful and record-breaking series splintered its following. Even HBO executives and George R. R. Martin expressed disbelief at the way showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss handled such a successful show.

Game of Thrones “developed a life of its own” separated from the books

Though Martin never openly criticized the showrunners’ work, in an interview with Time magazine from 2017, on being asked if his novels will be influenced by the show, he said:

“I don’t consider it in those terms. The show is the show and it’s developed a life of its own at this point. I am involved in the show, of course, and have been since the beginning, but my main focus has got to be the books. You have to remember that I started writing this story in 1991 and I first met David and Dan [showrunners Benioff and Weiss] in 2007.”

George R.R. Martin’s novels will not be influenced by the show

Martin further clarified that his work is not going to be affected by how and where the TV show goes. He said, “I was living with these characters and this world for 16 years before we even started working on the show. They’re pretty fixed in my mind and I’m not going to change anything because of the show, or reaction to the show, or what fans think. I’m just still writing the story that I set out to write in the early 1990s.”

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