“To beg him to do 10 seasons of 10 episodes”: Not Listening to George R. R. Martin’s Request For Game of Thrones Was the Worst Mistake HBO Could Have Committed With the Show

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George R. R. Martin’s commitment toGame of Thronesand his eventual exit from the show felt somewhat like a betrayal to the audience of the critically acclaimed HBO series. But for Martin himself, one particular betrayal from the series’ creators felt like severing a limb from his body.

Game of Thrones[Credit: Home Box Office Inc.]The commitment that the author and the audience generously devoted to the HBO show was paid tenfold in kind for the first 6 seasons and could have progressed in the same manner, if not for one disastrous decision. Months beforeGame of Thronesbranched off into a spin-off series, the author reflected on what made the ending so inconclusive and unsatisfactory.

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Had David Benioff and Dan Weiss been patient and tenacious enough to drag out the experience ofGame of Thrones, the audience would not be still up in arms about the betrayal suffered at the showrunners’ mercy. During the most vulnerable moment of the show, Benioff and Weiss decided to sever ties withGeorge R. R. Martinjust as their investment inGame of Thronesbegan to dwindle.

Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister inGame of ThronesSeason 8 [Credit: Home Box Office Inc.]After 6 beautiful seasons in which Martin served as a screenwriter, consultant, and constant source of constructive feedback toward bettering the show, the author was slowly sidelined even as the studio cut the ending ofGame of Thronesinto shreds. The author’s agent, Paul Haas, later revealed in an interview withIndieWire:

“George would fly to New York to have lunch with [HBO CEO] Plepler, to beg him to do 10 seasons of 10 episodes because there was enough material for it and to tell him it would be a more satisfying and more entertaining experience. [Weiss and Benioff] were tired, rightfully so. They were done, and wanted to move on, so they cut it short, and then negotiations became, how many seasons can we stretch this out? Because of course, HBO wanted more.”

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Even though the author was kind enough to respect the duo’s decision to keep him out of the show’s proceedings, even Martin himself was left confused and surprised by the sudden abandonment he suffered from the studio.

Real Reason Behind George R. R. Martin’s Exit From Finale

George R. R. Martin at the 43rd Annual TusCon [Credit: Wikimedia Commons]ForGame of Thronesfans, nothing comes close to the lifelong trauma instilled in their memories by the show’s creators in its final season. For the author ofA Song of Ice and Fire, the betrayal soared. However, the real reason for his getting-the-cold-shoulder from Benioff and Weiss was later revealed bya report inThe New York Times.

According to the publication, George R. R. Martin had been cooped up in preparation for his literary series’ upcoming novel,The Winds of Winter. It was during hiscommitment to the novelthat the author grew estranged from the HBO adaptation. Martin later added,“By Season 5 and 6, and certainly 7 and 8, I was pretty much out of the loop.”

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However, now that the series has reached an anti-climactic end, and still faces unfathomable hate and backlash after so many years, the studio learned from its past mistakes to ensure George R. R. Martin’s involvement in its prequel spin-off show,House of the Dragon.

Game of ThronesandHouse of the Dragonare available for streaming on Max.

Diya Majumdar

Senior Writer

Articles Published :2410

Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.

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