Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

George R.R. Martin Slams 'Toxic' Changes To Plot Of 'House Of The Dragon' In Scathing Blog Post

George R.R. Martin
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO, HBO

The author slammed the hit HBO series for making changes to the plot that differ from his book 'Fire & Blood,' which the show is based on, warning of the 'Butterfly Effect' that those changes will have on future seasons.

Warning: Spoilers for 'House of the Dragon' season 2.

Author George R.R. Martin, who wrote Game of Thrones and its prequel House of the Dragon which respectively inspired the HBO TV series of the same name, slammed the "toxic" tweaks made in the latter's TV adaptation in a blistering social media blog post.


The fiery post has since been taken down but not before a screenshot was taken and shared by Culture Crave on X (formerly Twitter).

House of the Dragon is a spin-off series based on parts of Martin's 2018 book Fire & Blood. Martin co-created the series with showrunner Ryan Condal.

The Game of Thrones prequel takes place about 100 years after the Seven Kingdoms are united by the Targaryen conquest, about 200 years before the events depicted in Game of Thrones, and 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.

The 75-year-old author is not happy about the changes made to the show and the direction it was heading as a result, and he expressed deep concern about how it might affect future plotlines in seasons 3 and 4.

In the deleted post, Martin wrote in part:

"Sometime between the initial decision to remove Maelor a big change was made. The prince’s birth was no longer just going to be pushed back to season three. He was never going to be born at all. The younger son of Aegon and Helaena would never appear."
"Most of you know about the Butterfly Effect, I assume...The lesson being that change begets change, and even small and seemingly insignificant alterations to a timeline - or a story - can have a profound effect on all that follows."
"Maelor is a two-year-old toddler in Fire & Blood but like our butterfly he has an impact on the story all out of proportion to his size."
"Will any of that appear on the show? Maybe... But I don't see how. The butterflies would seem to prohibit it."

"I have no idea what Ryan has planned - if indeed he has planned anything," he said of his co-creator, adding, "but given Maelor's absence from episode two...The simplest way to proceed would be just to drop him entirely."

"From what I know, that seems to be what Ryan is doing here. It's simplest, yes, and may make sense in terms of budgets and shooting schedules. But simpler is not better."

Martin then went on to explain how Maelor's absence could adversely affect future events in House of the Dragon that would not make sense in Fire & Blood.

"What will we offer the fans instead, once we've killed these butterflies? I have no idea," he said.

Martin concluded the lengthy message with:

"I do not recall that Ryan and I ever discussed this. And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons three and four."

Here is the screenshot of the post in full.

Fans weighed in with their varied stances on his epic rant.












Whether or not the original creator's authentic vision for the story is being compromised is up for viewers who are still being entertained by the production quality to decide.

All episodes of House of the Dragon season 2 are available for streaming MAX.

More from Trending

Ridley Scott; Denzel Washington
Samir Hussein/WireImage/GettyImages, Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures

Ridley Scott Disputes Denzel Washington's Claim Same-Sex Kiss In 'Gladiator II' Was Cut

Gladiator II director Ridley Scott denied Denzel Washington's claim of a same-sex kiss in a scene that was cut from the new sequel to 2000's Gladiator.

During a red carpet interview with Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of Gladiator II, Scott called B.S. on Washington's so-called "kiss of death" he mentioned in a previous interview with Gayety’s Caitlynn McDaniel.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Tanya Tsikanovsky and Donald Trump
Fox 11

Lesbian Criticized For Complaining She Lost LGBTQ+ Friends After Voting For Trump

Former Democrat and Los Angeles resident Tanya Tsikanovsky told Fox 11 that she's been ostracized by her friends over her decision to vote for Trump—and the internet doesn't have much sympathy for her.

Tsikanovsky revealed that she wasn’t always a Republican. She voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020, even working with Clinton’s campaign in Iowa. At the time, she admitted to having strong disdain for Trump supporters.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jim McGovern; Donald Trump
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Democratic Rep. Says What We're All Thinking About Trump's 'Beyond Insane' Cabinet Picks

Democratic Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern gave his blunt assessment of President-elect Donald Trump's bizarre Cabinet picks thus far, calling them "beyond insane."

With Trump recently having picked Matt Gaetz (who faces sex trafficking accusations) for attorney general, Tulsi Gabbard (who has ignited concerns due to her ties to Russia) for director of national intelligence, and Pete Hegseth (a Fox News host accused of sexual assault) for secretary of defense, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (an antivaxxer and conspiracy theorist) for secretary of health and human services, Senate Republicans are very much divided on confirming them.

Keep ReadingShow less
Cynthia Erivo; Dax Shepard
Jeff Spicer/WireImage; Raymond Hall/GC Images

Cynthia Erivo Shuts Down Dax Shepard After He Asks TMI Question About Her Long Nails

Wicked star Cynthia Erivo has made it clear she has little time for people's nonsense—that's one of the things fans love about her.

And the latest to test her patience was podcaster Dax Shepard, who asked Erivo a TMI question that left her bristling a bit even as she took it in stride.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Marjorie Taylor Greene; Donald Trump
Real America's Voice; Allison Robbert-Pool/Getty Images

MTG Melts Down In Bonkers Rant Demanding Senate Republicans 'Say Yes Sir' To Trump's Cabinet Picks

As President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks face increasing opposition from Senate Republicans, Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is not handling it all that well, demanding her colleagues "say yes sir" to Trump's every whim.

With Trump recently having picked Matt Gaetz (who faces sex trafficking accusations) for attorney general, Tulsi Gabbard (who has ignited concerns due to her ties to Russia) for director of national intelligence, and Pete Hegseth (a Fox News host accused of sexual assault) for secretary of defense—to say nothing of others who've made headlines for similarly disturbing reasons—Senate Republicans are very much divided.

Keep ReadingShow less