The war for the Iron Throne takes another turn as author Xiran Jay Zhao backs up friend GRRM’s criticism of House of the Dragon. If you’ve been following, you know a war of words has decimated the peace of Westeros on TV. Creator George R. R. Martin posted some criticisms of House of the Dragon Season 2. Also, some Season 3 changes he’s heard are coming. The post was then deleted, probably at the behest of HBO. Then HBO responded and you can catch that response below in the related section.
Now however another author, Xiran Jay Zhao who is a friend of Martin then posted on X. Xiran indicated that GRRM’s critique was mild compared to what he really felt. Check it out below as the X link is only viewable to verified followers.
Xiran Jay Zhao
“All right there has been some Discourse TM about George RR Martin because of that post he made going rogue on HOTD‘s writers (deleted a few hours later but archived) and I’m seeing some misinformed reactions by people who aren’t in the publishing or entertainment industries so lemme clarify some things:”
“Creators are not the ones with the power. Execs are. Even an author as big as George gets their opinions dismissed if the higher-ups don’t want to listen. HBO has not listened to George’s feedback and concerns for years. They do not have to, because once adaptation rights are signed away it is OUT of the author’s hands. How do you think GOT Season 8 happened?”
“George cannot just shut down production or refuse to let them make future seasons of any show inspired by his works because he doesn’t like what they’re doing. He can’t break the contract willy-nilly either when HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS are at stake. I hope people keep that in mind before saying “oh why is he complaining while continuing to collect his royalty checks?” Well, if they’re fucking up his stories he might as well get some money out of it.”
RELATED: HBO Responds To GRRM’s Now Deleted Criticism Of House Of The Dragon Season 2
“He’s not complaining for complaining’s sake. I hung out with him a few weeks ago and heard his full scope of opinions on HOTD and what he said in the post was VERY mild. Probably the least spicy storytelling critique he could’ve brought up. And I do believe this was on purpose and strategic. He’s not going full scorched earth on HBO, but he’s showing them that he COULD. He did this as a warning shot to get them to listen to him because clearly he saw some very upsetting plans for upcoming HOTD seasons. If he just wanted to complain there’s way spicier shit he could’ve said.”
“For those who think he’s disrespecting the show’s writers…How do you think he felt when they have dismissed his feedback in private and driven him to the point of risking legal action to make his point to them?”
RELATED: GRRM Posts His House Of The Dragon Critique – Then Deletes It – Here It Is
“Just because he didn’t mention something in the post doesn’t mean he approves of it or doesn’t care, and the post should not be used to extrapolate his opinions on anything that’s not related to what he specifically addressed. Again, what he said was VERY mild. Ultimately, what matters to him is logical storytelling and complex, morally gray characters.- Lastly, I do not consider myself part of the HOTD or GOT fandoms. I’m a casual and defending him as a fellow author. Please do not involve me in any fandom drama. I do not know what’s going on in there and I don’t want to.”
You may not want to get involved in fan drama about Thrones Xiran, I respect that. However, you are now very much part of the drama between your friend GRRM and HBO.
What do you think of their comments as author Xiran Jay Zhao backs up friend GRRM’s criticism of House of the Dragon?
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