Game of Thrones creator slams most TV and film adaptations

George R.R. Martin, the celebrated author of A Song of Ice and Fire, which inspired the TV series Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, lamented in a recent blog post that most film and TV adaptations are inferior to their original source material. He referenced a 2022 panel discussion with Sandman creator Neil Gaiman, stating that producers often seek to "make stories their own," which usually diminishes their quality. Martin did not explicitly categorize Game of Thrones or its spin-offs, but he claimed that 999 out of 1,000 adaptations fail to surpass the original works. Despite his general skepticism, Martin acknowledged that occasionally, some adaptations, like the acclaimed TV show version of James Clavell's novel Shōgun, do succeed.

George R.R. Martin criticizes most film and TV adaptations because he believes that producers and screenwriters often attempt to "improve" or personalize the original stories, which typically results in a decline in quality, making the adaptations worse than the original source material.

Game of Thrones, based on Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, ran for eight seasons but faced criticism towards the end, as the TV series surpassed the available books. House of the Dragon, derived from another of Martin's works, Fire and Blood, focuses on the history of the Targaryen family. Both adaptations have sparked significant attention and have new seasons and spin-offs planned, highlighting the ongoing interest in Martin's creations despite his critical view of adaptations.