Game of Thrones is over, and all eyes are on its spinoff House of the Dragon.
Now, George R.R. Martin, the author who brought this franchise to life, is speaking out about his involvement in the original series.
Despite reports that he was heavily involved for the entire series run, he has revealed that was not the case.
In a new interview with the New York Times, Martin shared that he was pretty much away from the series during the second half of its run.
“By Season 5 and 6, and certainly 7 and 8, I was pretty much out of the loop,” he shared with the outlet.
It’s certainly a shocker, but it makes sense when you consider the quality dip in the later seasons.
George didn’t reveal why his responsibilities on the show were diminished, offering the outlet, “I don’t know — you have to ask Dan and David.”
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are billed as the creators and showrunners of the HBO series.
Both declined to comment on what Martin had to say.
Game of Thrones wrapped in 2019 with a polarizing finale that left many questioning what went on behind-the-scenes to have such an anti-climax.
It’s been the topic of much discussion since the finale aired in 2019, and understandably all eyes are on House of the Dragon to see if fans are permanently soured on the franchise.
Thankfully, George R.R. Martin is well and truly involved with the new series.
“George, for us, in this process has been a really valuable resource,” HBO’s chief content officer Casey Bloys told the Times of Martin.
“He is literally the creator of this world. He is its historian, its creator, its keeper.”
“And so I can’t imagine doing a show that he didn’t believe in or didn’t endorse.”
That’s quite the vote of confidence.
Martin has been complimentary of the new show since the beginning.
“I am informed that shooting has wrapped for the first season of House of The Dragon. Yes all ten episodes,” he shared in a blog post earlier this year.
“I have seen rough cuts of a few of them, and I’m loving them.”
“The writing, the directing, the acting all look terrific” he continued.
“I hope you will them as much as I do,” he wrote int he blog post.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, the series will tell the story of House Targaryen (a.k.a. the House that gave us the Mother of Dragons herself, Daenerys Targaryen) and take place 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
The cast includes Matt Smith, Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, and Fabien Frankel.
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Remember, you can watch Game of Thrones online right here via TV Fanatic.
House of the Dragon launches on August 21 on HBO.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.