George R.R. Martin Kept 'Out of Loop' for 'Game of Thrones' Final Seasons

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George R.R. Martin has spoken out about how involved he was with Game of Thrones in the HBO show's final seasons, and it turns out it wasn't a lot.

The author is the creator of A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series that began with A Game of Thrones and served as the inspiration for the cable show.

Initially, Martin was heavily involved with Game of Thrones, which was helmed by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. That included giving advice on casting and visiting sets. His books were the jumping-off point for the series until it caught up with the last one he has published, A Dance With Dragons.

But Martin's involvement decreased when he took a step back to focus on writing the sixth novel in the series, The Winds of Winter, which has not yet been released. Martin has assured fans that he is working on the novel and is aware it is "very, very late." The franchise will end with the seventh book, A Dream of Spring.

George R R Martin Game of Thrones — Author George R.R. Martin says he was kept "out of the loop" during the final seasons of "Games of Thrones" on HBO. Above, Martin speaks at Comic-Con on July 2 in San Diego. At right,... Helen Sloan/FilmMagic/FilmMagic for HBO/HBO

Since he was busy with his writing, the author said, he was not as hands-on for Game of Thrones' final seasons. He told The New York Times, "By Season 5 and 6, and certainly 7 and 8, I was pretty much out of the loop."

Asked why this was the case, Martin said, "I don't know—you have to ask Dan and David."

Newsweek contacted representatives for Benioff and Weiss for further comment.

Many viewers have criticized the way in which the show ended. Martin told the Times he was aware that a number of fans had "burned" him, telling the author they were done with the franchise following the Season 8 finale.

Martin also said that his "ending will be very different" from the series' conclusion, which had Jon Snow (Kit Harington) kill Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and showed Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) taking the Iron Throne, among other developments.

Martin is more involved with the HBO show's prequel, House of the Dragon, which will premiere August 21 on HBO and HBO Max. Martin co-created it with showrunner Ryan Condal.

HBO's chief content officer, Casey Bloys, told the Times: "George, for us, in this process has been a really valuable resource. He is literally the creator of this world. He is its historian, its creator, its keeper. And so I can't imagine doing a show that he didn't believe in or didn't endorse."