“Immense monkey off my back”: George R.R. Martin Refuses to Repeat Game of Thrones Showrunner’s Criminal Mistake With His Books
- George R. R. Martin shared that he'd love for his books to be finished but won't be rushed.
- The author said that he'd not like for anyone to write in Westeros.
- Kit Harington recalled that towards season 8, all the cast was tired and did not have another season in them.
Author, television writer, and television producer, George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy novels, A Song of Ice and Fire, are the basis of HBO’s Game of Thrones. It has been known that Martin wrote one episode each for four seasons of Game of Thrones and then decided to focus on finishing his sixth novel.
Game of Thrones to date is regarded as one of the best fantasy series to ever be made and premiered. From writing to direction to the grander sets to the twists to the performances of the actors, everything about the show is known to be top-notch. Even though the last season of GOT disappointed the audience heavily, GOT remains one of the most beloved shows. The author in an interview mentioned that he is not going to repeat the pattern for GOT S8 for his novel.
George R. R. Martin talks about finishing A Song of Ice and Fire
In an interview with Talking Thrones, George R. R. Martin was asked if there is an internal desire to not finish the book, to which the author said,
I think when I get to the end, I may very well feel some of that. It’s going to be very hard to say goodbye to some of these people and the ones who are still alive.
The author, however, noted that at the same time, it’s going to be an immense relief for him because there would be no pressure to finish the story. He further added that he does feel that a story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end. Martin added,
To put an end to this will be an immense monkey off my back. I joke about that on my blog about all the monkeys on my back, the project I’ve said yes to, and one of the monkeys is King Kong, and that, of course, is A Song of Ice and Fire.
George R. R. Martin noted that it’d be nice for him to finish the book and have. The author was hosted at Oxford Writer’s House, where he was asked one thing that he’d change about his book if he could, to which he said he could probably change more than one thing. He added that if he could do one thing, he’d have them finished.
The author further in the interview was asked if he’s going to allow others to write in Westeros like Star Wars, to which he said NO, not when he’s alive, adding that his wife won’t allow that either even after he’s gone.
But one thing that the author is sure of is the fact that he is not going to rush himself to finish the book or the story just because everyone wants him to finish it. Martin is very clear that, unlike Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss, who decided to rush the story towards the end of the series, he’s going to take his time to bring a conclusion to his characters.
The reason why the audience was disappointed with the last season of Game of Thrones was because it seemed rushed, thus resulting in the most criticized season ever.
It has also been known that the television series was already moving away from the source material, and despite the showrunners wanting to end the show on a good note, it just did not work out for the best.
Kit Harington recalls being ‘tired’ towards the end of Game of Thrones
Kit Harington, widely known for playing Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, addressed the criticism of season 8 during a panel discussion at the official Game of Thrones Convention in 2022. He said (via EW)
I think if you asked him [Jon Snow], he would’ve felt he got off lightly. At the end of the show, when we find him in that cell, he’s preparing to be beheaded, and he wants to be. He’s done. The fact he goes to the Wall is the greatest gift and also the greatest curse.
Harington mentioned that Jon Snow’s got to go back up to the place with all this history and live out his life thinking about how he killed Daenerys and live out his life thinking about Ygritte dying in his arms. The actor added it’s interesting for him to keep living with all these thoughts.
The actor also pointed out that there’s a feeling like, the audience wanted some kind of little smile that things are okay, but he’s not okay. In his cover story for GQ, he noted that if there was any fault with the end of the series, then it’s maybe that they were all really tired and couldn’t have gone on longer.
I understand some people thought it was rushed, and I might agree with them. But I’m not sure there was any alternative. I look at the pictures of me in that final season, and I look exhausted. I look spent. I didn’t have another season in me.
Addressing the backlash the show received, especially in season 8, he added that everyone is entitled to have their own opinion. He does admit that maybe there were mistakes made, story-wise, but according to him, there were some interesting choices that didn’t quite work.
Game of Thrones is streaming on HBO.
