George R.R. Martin wrote four episodes ofGame of Thrones,but the author hasn’t written forHouse of the Dragon— and at this point, it seems unlikely that he will. Martin is, of course, the mastermind behind theentireSong of Ice and Firefranchise, and bothGame of ThronesandHOTDare based on his source material.Martin is an executive producer on both shows, but he was more heavily involved with the original.Game of Thronesepisodes “The Pointy End,” “Blackwater,” “The Bear and the Maiden Fair,” and “The Lion and the Rose” were all penned by him.
These are some of thebest episodes ofGame of Thrones, andMartin himself even called them “perfect.“The author seems to have enjoyed being a part of bringing his series to life inGame of Thrones,so it may come as a surprise that he doesn’t have the same level of involvement inHouse of the Dragon.TheGame of Thronesspinoffwrapped its second season in 2024, andMartin has yet to write a single script. AlthoughHouse of the Dragonseason 3is confirmed, it doesn’t seem likely he’ll do so in the future either. After all, the author has a lot of other projects in the works.
GRRM Stopped Writing TV Episodes To Focus On Writing The Winds Of Winter
The Sixth Song Of Ice And Fire Book Is “13 Years Late”
The biggest reason Martin isn’t more involved inHouse of the Dragonis thathe temporarily stopped writing for television so that he could focus onThe Winds of Winter.It’s no secret that thesixthSong of Ice and Firebook is taking a long timeto come out, with even Martin admitting that he’s “13 years late” (viaThe Hollywood Reporter).A Dance With Dragonscame out back in 2011, and readers have been eagerly anticipating the next installment ofASOIAFever since. Unfortunately, that excitement has simmered over the years, with the book being delayed over and over.
10 Game Of Thrones Mistakes That The Winds Of Winter Will Fix
Game of Thrones may have botched these characters and storylines, leaving The Winds of Winter to clean up the mess. Whenever it comes out, that is.
To Martin’s credit, he does seem to be trying to refocus onThe Winds of Winter.Back in 2016, he wrote on hisNot a Blogthat he is “not writing anything until I deliver WINDS OF WINTER. Teleplays, screenplays, short stories, introductions, forewords, nothing.” He also noted that he’d dropped all of his editing projects to work on the novel. It’s questionable whether he’s kept his word over the past few years. However, the author has not written forHouse of the Dragon,which is in line with his promise.
Given that he has another book to write afterThe Winds of Winter,it makes sense that writing his books is more important than TV writing at the moment.
Martin also said he was 75% done withThe Winds of Winterin 2022, and then that he was making “steady progress” in aNot a Blogpost from 2023. He most recentlyconfirmed thatThe Winds of Winteris still a priority, even if people are “writing obituaries” for him. Given that he has another book to write afterThe Winds of Winter,it makes sense that writing his books is more important than TV writing at the moment.
George R.R. Martin Has A Lot Of Other Projects
He’s Working On More Content In The Song Of Ice & Fire Universe
Although Martin’s biggest priority appears to beThe Winds of Winter,the author has a lot of other projects in the works — andthose could also be taking precedence over writing forHouse of the Dragon.Despite the sixth book still being unfinished,Martin already has plans to write moreASOIAFbooks. Martin already confirmedBlood & Fire,a follow-up to the Targaryen history thatHouse of the Dragonis based on. It’s unclear what his timeline for that looks like, but he wrote on hisNot a Blogthat he’s done some writing for it.
George RR Martin’s 10 Best Books, Ranked
George R.R. Martin is known as one of the world’s premiere fantasy authors, but his career has much more to it. Here are his best books.
Martin is also planning to expand on his works fromA Knight of the Seven Kingdomsby writing more Dunk & Egg novellas. In anotherNot a Blogpost, he claimed that he intends to do this afterThe Winds of Winter.He seems invested in penning more tales based on Ser Duncan Strong and his squire, givingASOIAFfans something to look forward to beyondThe Winds of Winter.
Despite swearing off writing for television back in 2016, Martin still has a few TV projects that he’s working on as well.
Despite swearing off writing for television back in 2016,Martin still has a few TV projects that he’s working on as well. These include HBO’sA Knight of the Seven Kingdomsseries, which is slated to debut in 2025, and AMC’sDark Winds, both of which he’s an executive producer for. The author is also producing short films based on the late Howard Waldrop’s stories, as the two were childhood friends. Martin self-financed the five works, three of which are completed — includingThe Ugly Chickens, which premiered at HollyShorts in August 2024.
Martin’s House Of The Dragon Criticism Makes Him Writing For The Show Even Less Likely
While Martin’s projects are likely the main reason he isn’t writing forHouse of the Dragon,it’s possible his reservations about the show could be preventing him from getting more involved. On the heels ofHouse of the Dragonseason 2,Martin expressed heavy criticism of theGame of Thronesprequel. In a now-deleted blog post,Martin took downHouse of the Dragon, explaining the reasons for thechanges made to the infamous Blood and Cheese scene— and how many problems with the show spun out from not including Maelor.
House Of The Dragon Season 2: 25 Biggest Book Changes
House of the Dragon is back with season 2, and there are already significant changes to the source material in George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood.
He agreed with many viewers thatFire & Blooddid a better job with the tragedy, writing, “I still believe the scene in the book is stronger. The readers have the right of that.” Martin also suggested that he wasn’t thrilled with the future direction ofHouse of the Dragon,emphasizing how the changes made in season 2 would negatively impact Helaena Targaryen’s fate. The author’s criticisms created quite a stir online, andHBO chief Casey Bloys even addressed the comments.
Given Martin’s criticisms ofHouse of the Dragonand how it has altered his source material, it’s unclear if he would even want to be involved in the script-writing process.
Given Martin’s criticisms ofHouse of the Dragonand how it has altered his source material, it’s unclear if he would even want to be involved in the script-writing process. While the author has previously made positive remarks about the prequel,Martin’s willingness to be so forthright about his displeasure withHouse of the Dragonseason 2 suggests he has more issues with the prequelthan he did withGame of Thrones.Martin also doubled down on his opinionafter the fact.
How Involved In House Of The Dragon Is GRRM?
His Involvement Seems To Have Decreased
Martin is listed as an executive producer onHouse of the Dragon,and he seems involved enough in the spinoff to know what decisions are being made and why. However,Martin appears to have taken a step back from the series to focus onThe Winds of Winterand other projects. In a 2022 interview withDeadline,showrunner Ryan Condal was asked if Martin was in the writer’s room. He responded, “He was at the very beginning, way back when we had this very small group of writers, none of whom worked on the show once we officially got picked up.”
House of the Dragonseason 3 is confirmed and will start filming in early 2025.
Martin’s involvement appears to be less direct nowadays, but being an executive producer and the original creator means that the network and showrunner are likely still running things by him and keeping him in the loop. He clearly has an idea of what’s going on, even if he’s not writing scripts or making as many decisions. However, Martin does appear to have greater involvement in HBO’s nextGame of Thronesspinoff.
Is Martin Involved In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms?
He’s Writing & Serving As Executive Producer
Although Martin’s involvement inHouse of the Dragonseems smaller than his involvement inGame of Thrones,it appears he’ll have a heavier hand when it comes toA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.TheGame of Thronesspinoff is slated to arrive in 2025, and Martin has confirmed that he’s serving as executive producer and writing for the series (viaDeadline). This is a change of pace fromHouse of the Dragon,but the Dunk and Egg novellas seem to have a special place in Martin’s heart. He’s also hadhigh praise forThe Hedge Knightprequel.
House of the Dragon
Cast
House of the Dragon is a 2022 fantasy drama set in the world of Westeros, chronicling the Targaryen dynasty at its height. The story revolves around King Viserys’s controversial decision to name his daughter Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne, sparking tensions and divisions within the realm.
