House of the Dragon season 2 fell short for many fans who had waited two years for its return. Plenty of valid complaints cropped up from it. For instance, the decision to trim the usual 10-episode run down to just eight felt like cutting corners. To make it even worse, it ended on an emotional but frustrating cliffhanger. Many fans also felt the show had strayed too far from George R. R. Martin’s source material. But as HBO prepares to bring Game of Thrones back to our screens, fans are hopeful for a fresh start.

An HBO boss recently hinted that the upcoming Game of Thrones movie will avoid the missteps that held back House of the Dragon.

The aftershocks of Game of Thrones’ rough final season are still being felt. But with the recent update from HBO and Max chief Casey Bloys about a potential Game of Thrones movie, there is a spark of hope that this time things might turn out right. At an HBO/Max press event, Bloys confirmed that Warner Bros., under the helm of studio chiefs Michael DeLuca and Pamela Abdy, is working on a possible Game of Thrones feature film, with none other than George R. R. Martin himself on board, according to report from Variety. 

“They’re going to develop idea,” Bloys said. He added, “We’ll read the scripts along with them”. This came in response to George R. R. Martin’s pointed criticisms of House of the Dragon season 2 earlier this year, where he strongly objected to certain creative choices, warning they could have a “butterfly effect” on future seasons. But that was not Martin’s only public outburst this year. 

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Back in May, he also took issue with adaptations, emphasizing on his frustration with screenwriters trying to reshape his work. 

George R. R. Martin has been vocal about unfaithful adaptations in the past. He spoke about it in a 2022 discussion with fellow author Neil Gaiman, where he expressed how most Hollywood writers do not seem to feel the need to stay true to the original works. Reflecting on it, Martin wrote in his blog in May, "Very little has changed since then". He added, "If anything, things have gotten worse". 

Martin is not new to seeing his stories adapted for the screen. HBO brought A Song of Ice and Fire to life as Game of Thrones, and now they are working on House of the Dragon, based on Fire & Blood. But the shows have taken some big creative liberties with the books. Now, with HBO bringing Martin into the loop for the Game of Thrones movie, there is hope this might finally mark a shift for the better.

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What do you think about Casey Bloys’ update? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!