George R.R. Martin continues to shower House of the Dragon with praise. This time, the A Song of Ice and Fire author took to his notablog to sing the praises of the show’s cast, particularly focusing his compliments on Milly Alcock, Emily Carey, Emma D'Arcy, and Olivia Cooke.
Martin first published A Game of Thrones back in 1996. That eventually became the basis for HBO's Game of Thrones, which premiered in 2011. It took many years for Martin to find a production crew willing to adapt the series. Some wanted to turn the series into films while focusing only on Jon Show's storyline, while others wanted to focus entirely on Daenerys Targaryen. Eventually, Martin found HBO willing to adapt the entire story, and it proved to be a major success. However, Martin has revealed he had certain concerns during the production of Game of Thrones that led to problems later on.
No such issues appear to be plaguing Martin with House of the Dragon. On his notablog (Martin's website, where he frequently posts asides, reactions to football games, and updates on his work), Martin spoke about how pleased he was with House of the Dragon. He singled out Alcock and Carey, who departed the series following a time jump in episode 6, and Cooke and D'Arcy, who likewise joined the show following that same time jump. Martin wrote, “Milly Alcock and Emily Carey were incredible as young Rhaenyra and young Alicent, were they not? With Sunday's episode, Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke took over as the adult versions of the characters. I think you will love them too. Or hate them, maybe. Love/ hate.”
Martin further went on to state that the entire cast has been doing a phenomenal job, and he showered praise on the writers of the show as well, whom he felt mostly go unsung for their part in the show’s success. He also gave a shout-out to showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, the latter of whom will be leaving House of the Dragon before season 2, and EP Jocelyn Diaz, who will also be departing ahead of season 2. Martin's post seems a far cry from any issues he felt while working on the Game of Thrones production.
Martin appears to have a close working relationship with the crew on House of the Dragon, and it also appears that he retains more creative control over the show. This is something he has expressed issues with in the past, and he has stated that he did not want to become like Stan Lee and lose control over his own creations.
Martin also stated that, though House of the Dragon season is nearly completed, he feels the best is yet to come. The season promises to have an explosive finale. Thus far, the show has expertly been building up the tension of a looming succession crisis, and it’s likely that that powder keg will explode before this season is over.
House of the Dragon airs on Sundays at 9 PM EST on HBO and HBO Max.
Source: George RR Martin/NotABlog