Author George R.R. Martin said he was “out of the loop” during the final seasons of the hit HBO series with showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. Martin previously had consulted on scripts and casting for the first four seasons of the series. “By Season 5 and 6, and certainly 7 and 8, I was pretty much out of the loop,” Martin revealed to The New York Times. When asked why, Martin added, “I don’t know — you have to ask Dan and David.” As “Game of Thrones” prequel series “House of the Dragon” launches on HBO, adapted from Martin’s “Fire & Blood,” the novelist assured fans that his own forthcoming final books in the series (“The Winds of Winter” and “A Dream of Spring”) will offer a “very different” ending for the “Thrones” saga, greatly straying from the series finale.

Martin previously hinted in a blog post that his writing is “taking me further and further away from the television series” and that characters’ fatal fates will not match that of the show. Related George R.R. Martin: ‘Changes at HBO Max’ Have Certainly Impacted ‘Game of Thrones’ Franchise Jeremy Clarkson Apologizes After Saying Meghan Markle Should Be Paraded Naked Through Streets of England Related Oscars 2023: Best Sound Predictions Quentin Tarantino’s Favorite Movies: 48 Films the Director Wants You to See
The author further spoke out to the NYT about the fan backlash to the “Game of Thrones” TV series finale. “People say, ‘I’m done with ‘Game of Thrones,’ they burned me, I’m not even going to watch this new show — I’m not going to watch any of the new shows,’” Martin said. “I mean, are we talking about a million people? Or are we talking about 1,000? People who have nothing to do except tweet all day over and over again? I don’t know.” HBO chief content officer Casey Bloys assured that the backlash will not affect spinoff “House of the Dragon,” out August 21. And, as Bloys noted, Martin will continuously be part of the creative process for the series. “George, for us, in this process has been a really valuable resource,” Bloys said of Martin, who co-created “House of Dragon” with showrunner Ryan J. Condal. “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.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.