George R.R. Martin makes his stance clear on House of the Dragon: “Not my story any longer”

Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin has opened up about his deteriorating relationship with House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal, describing their dynamic as “worse than rocky” and “abysmal” in a candid new profile. The two once considered themselves partners, but their partnership crumbled as creative differences over the show’s direction spiraled into what Martin calls a fundamentally broken process.

Quick read:

• Martin moved from active creative partner providing script notes to sidelined observer after Condal stopped incorporating his feedback in season two.

• HBO intervened by requiring Martin to submit notes directly to executives instead of collaborating with Condal on creative decisions.

• Martin’s deleted blog post criticized the show’s direction; HBO removed it while he slept, prompting him to explain his frustration publicly.

From Partnership to Breakdown

George R.R. Martin initially hired and supported Condal, reflecting on their early collaboration: “I hired Ryan. I thought Ryan and I were partners. And we were all through the first season. I would read early drafts of the scripts. I would give notes. He would change some things. It was working really well — I thought.”

The author believed they were collaborating effectively until season two, when the dynamic shifted dramatically. Martin explained the turning point: “Then we got into season two, and he basically stopped listening to me. I would give notes, and nothing would happen. Sometimes he would explain why he wasn’t doing it. Other times, he would tell me, ‘Oh, OK, yeah, I’ll think about that.’”

As tensions escalated, HBO intervened with a concerning compromise. Martin recounted: “It got worse and worse, and I began to get more and more annoyed. Finally, it got to a point where I was told by HBO that I should submit all my notes to them and they would give Ryan our combined notes.” This arrangement effectively sidelined Martin from the creative process, marking the beginning of the end for their once-collaborative relationship.

The Public Fallout and Ongoing Tension

Martin’s frustration boiled over in September 2024 when he published a now-deleted blog post criticizing House of the Dragon’s direction and warning of more “toxic” changes ahead. HBO’s swift action to remove the post while Martin slept deepened the schism.

Credits: Ollie Upton/HBO

On the incident, Martin stated: “I would’ve put it back up, but then I would’ve looked like an idiot. And 80 percent of it was praise, but that’s not what people focused on.” Martin has since returned to some involvement with the show, though both he and HBO remain vague about the specifics of their new arrangement.

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