HBO Boss Talks “Rocky” Relationship With ‘Thrones’ Creator George R.R. Martin: “It Can Be Fraught”

After the massive success of “Game of Thrones,” it’s clear that HBO is going to be dealing with author George R.R. Martin quite often, especially after the studio continues to add spinoffs to its slate. And we’ve already seen the relationship between Martin and HBO can be a little iffy, with Martin being unafraid to share his opinions on things. According to Casey Bloys, that’s just the cost of doing business.

READ MORE: HBO’s Casey Bloys Says ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Season 2 Is In Development

Speaking at a recent press conference, where he talked quite a bit about the entirety of the HBO lineup, executive Casey Bloys opened up about the relationship the network has with author George R.R. Martin, the creator of “Game of Thrones.” Bloys spoke candidly about the “rocky” marriage they have, especially when you have Martin criticizing creative choices on his blog. You may remember this happened earlier this year when Martin spoke ill of choices made in “House of the Dragon.” He would eventually offer up an apology, but the damage was done. 

“He’s very important to me, to us,” Bloys said. “But when we put shows together, it’s like putting a marriage together. Marriages can be difficult, especially when Ryan Condal is making creative decisions and adapting work. It can be fraught. Any marriage can get rocky. I would prefer everybody get along, of course. But with the creative process, we are always going to have bumps. That’s to be expected.”

Support independent movie journalism to keep it alive. Sign up for The Playlist Newsletter. All the content you want and, oh, right, it’s free

You have to hand it to Bloys for speaking openly and honestly about the relationship with Martin. For better or worse, this is a person that HBO will likely be doing business with for years to come. So, even though they may not always get along, and Martin might not always like the creative choices made, there has to be a level of respect on both sides for this to work. 

As of now, HBO has two ‘Thrones’ spinoff series on the network. The aforementioned “House of the Dragon” is doing really well after two seasons, and “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is coming in 2025 and is expected to be another hit for the network. Hopefully, for both shows’ sake, Martin is able to keep things positive. 

-additional reporting by Gregory Ellwood