Why George R.R. Martin Hasn't Written For House Of The Dragon (& Probably Never Will) Despite Writing 4 Game Of Thrones Episodes

George R.R. Martin wrote four episodes of Game of Thrones, but the author hasn't written for House of the Dragon — and at this point, it seems unlikely that he will. Martin is, of course, the mastermind behind the entire Song of Ice and Fire franchise, and both Game of Thrones and HOTD are based on his source material. Martin is an executive producer on both shows, but he was more heavily involved with the original. Game of Thrones episodes "The Pointy End," "Blackwater," "The Bear and the Maiden Fair," and "The Lion and the Rose" were all penned by him.

These are some of the best episodes of Game of Thrones, and Martin himself even called them "perfect." The author seems to have enjoyed being a part of bringing his series to life in Game of Thrones, so it may come as a surprise that he doesn't have the same level of involvement in House of the Dragon. The Game of Thrones spinoff wrapped its second season in 2024, and Martin has yet to write a single script. Although House of the Dragon season 3 is confirmed, it doesn't seem likely he'll do so in the future either. After all, the author has a lot of other projects in the works.

GRRM Stopped Writing TV Episodes To Focus On Writing The Winds Of Winter

The Sixth Song Of Ice And Fire Book Is "13 Years Late"

The biggest reason Martin isn't more involved in House of the Dragon is that he temporarily stopped writing for television so that he could focus on The Winds of Winter. It's no secret that the sixth Song of Ice and Fire book is taking a long time to come out, with even Martin admitting that he's "13 years late" (via The Hollywood Reporter). A Dance With Dragons came out back in 2011, and readers have been eagerly anticipating the next installment of ASOIAF ever since. Unfortunately, that excitement has simmered over the years, with the book being delayed over and over.

To Martin's credit, he does seem to be trying to refocus on The Winds of Winter. Back in 2016, he wrote on his Not a Blog that he is "not writing anything until I deliver WINDS OF WINTER. Teleplays, screenplays, short stories, introductions, forewords, nothing." He also noted that he'd dropped all of his editing projects to work on the novel. It's questionable whether he's kept his word over the past few years. However, the author has not written for House of the Dragon, which is in line with his promise.

Martin also said he was 75% done with The Winds of Winter in 2022, and then that he was making "steady progress" in a Not a Blog post from 2023. He most recently confirmed that The Winds of Winter is still a priority, even if people are "writing obituaries" for him. Given that he has another book to write after The Winds of Winter, it makes sense that writing his books is more important than TV writing at the moment.

George R.R. Martin Has A Lot Of Other Projects

He's Working On More Content In The Song Of Ice & Fire Universe

Although Martin's biggest priority appears to be The Winds of Winter, the author has a lot of other projects in the works — and those could also be taking precedence over writing for House of the Dragon. Despite the sixth book still being unfinished, Martin already has plans to write more ASOIAF books. Martin already confirmed Blood & Fire, a follow-up to the Targaryen history that House of the Dragon is based on. It's unclear what his timeline for that looks like, but he wrote on his Not a Blog that he's done some writing for it.

Martin is also planning to expand on his works from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by writing more Dunk & Egg novellas. In another Not a Blog post, he claimed that he intends to do this after The Winds of Winter. He seems invested in penning more tales based on Ser Duncan Strong and his squire, giving ASOIAF fans something to look forward to beyond The Winds of Winter.

Despite swearing off writing for television back in 2016, Martin still has a few TV projects that he's working on as well. These include HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms series, which is slated to debut in 2025, and AMC's Dark Winds, both of which he's an executive producer for. The author is also producing short films based on the late Howard Waldrop's stories, as the two were childhood friends. Martin self-financed the five works, three of which are completed — including The Ugly Chickens, which premiered at HollyShorts in August 2024.

Martin's House Of The Dragon Criticism Makes Him Writing For The Show Even Less Likely

The Author Had Harsh Things To Say About Season 2

While Martin's projects are likely the main reason he isn't writing for House of the Dragon, it's possible his reservations about the show could be preventing him from getting more involved. On the heels of House of the Dragon season 2, Martin expressed heavy criticism of the Game of Thrones prequel. In a now-deleted blog post, Martin took down House of the Dragon, explaining the reasons for the changes made to the infamous Blood and Cheese scene — and how many problems with the show spun out from not including Maelor.

He agreed with many viewers that Fire & Blood did a better job with the tragedy, writing, "I still believe the scene in the book is stronger. The readers have the right of that." Martin also suggested that he wasn't thrilled with the future direction of House of the Dragon, emphasizing how the changes made in season 2 would negatively impact Helaena Targaryen's fate. The author's criticisms created quite a stir online, and HBO chief Casey Bloys even addressed the comments.

Given Martin's criticisms of House of the Dragon and how it has altered his source material, it's unclear if he would even want to be involved in the script-writing process. While the author has previously made positive remarks about the prequel, Martin's willingness to be so forthright about his displeasure with House of the Dragon season 2 suggests he has more issues with the prequel than he did with Game of Thrones. Martin also doubled down on his opinion after the fact.

How Involved In House Of The Dragon Is GRRM?

His Involvement Seems To Have Decreased

Martin is listed as an executive producer on House of the Dragon, and he seems involved enough in the spinoff to know what decisions are being made and why. However, Martin appears to have taken a step back from the series to focus on The Winds of Winter and other projects. In a 2022 interview with Deadline, showrunner Ryan Condal was asked if Martin was in the writer's room. He responded, "He was at the very beginning, way back when we had this very small group of writers, none of whom worked on the show once we officially got picked up."

Martin's involvement appears to be less direct nowadays, but being an executive producer and the original creator means that the network and showrunner are likely still running things by him and keeping him in the loop. He clearly has an idea of what's going on, even if he's not writing scripts or making as many decisions. However, Martin does appear to have greater involvement in HBO's next Game of Thrones spinoff.

Is Martin Involved In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms?

He's Writing & Serving As Executive Producer

Although Martin's involvement in House of the Dragon seems smaller than his involvement in Game of Thrones, it appears he'll have a heavier hand when it comes to A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The Game of Thrones spinoff is slated to arrive in 2025, and Martin has confirmed that he's serving as executive producer and writing for the series (via Deadline). This is a change of pace from House of the Dragon, but the Dunk and Egg novellas seem to have a special place in Martin's heart. He's also had high praise for The Hedge Knight prequel.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Not a Blog, Deadline