George R.R. Martin, the author of the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire which was adapted into Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, apparently has a bone to pick with Hollywood in regards to book adaptations not being faithful enough.
Martin spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about Hollywood’s usual practice of making significant changes to source material for adaptations. This isn’t new, as prominent authors have always stated that their works suffer too many changes when taken to the big or small screen. Martin took the mic to offer his take on the matter, and he was impressively subtle:
“Maybe I’m one of the few people in Hollywood who still thinks that when you adapt a work of art, a novel, a short story, you should do a faithful adaptation.
[It] annoys me too much because they change things and I don’t think they generally improve them.”
This isn’t the first time the author has expressed his concern about Hollywood adaptations. In fact, his own work went through some changes when HBO adapted them. When Game of Thrones entered its second season, the acclaim was instant. Every episode was a TV event, and Martin seemed to be involved in every single one of them. However, Martin’s relationship with HBO went sour after a few seasons of Game of Thrones. At first, he was active in writing, made decisions about the cast, and even visited the sets. Then things changed.
The final seasons varied in reception. Production value was still high, but the showrunners made too many changes, and Martin still seemed to be enjoying his royalties and nothing more. The final episode, one of the most divisive moments on modern television but seen by millions worldwide, proved the franchise had more stories and people would tune in. House of the Dragon followed and Martin came back with a more active role. But make no mistake, he always has something to say, regardless if the showrunners like it or not.
The next adaptation of Martin’s work will be helmed by Paul W.S. Anderson. In the Lost Lands is set for release next February. Initially, the author wasn’t involved with the project, but according to an image he posted on his blog, he’s all in for the film. We don’t know how faithful this one will be to Martin’s short story, but given his involvement, he probably had a say in important decisions. Nevertheless, he’s an erratic guy, and he may pull a “HotD Season 2 is not perfect” kind of move.
When is a Book-to-Screen Adaptation “Faithful Enough”?
No author likes to see his or her creative work butchered, no matter the reason. They will always push for an adaptation to be 100% accurate according to what they came up with when they wrote the book. It’s only normal that they express their concern over the excess of changes that cause the essence of the story to vanish away. But when fans enter the picture and complain about the changes, it becomes a “not everyone will be satisfied” kind of issue. No film or TV show should feel like fan-service on steroids.
Related
10 Game of Thrones Plot Holes That Fans Were Furious Over
After the show departed from the source material, it became riddled with an abundance of plot holes.
Stephen King’s “relationship” with The Shining by Stanley Kubrick is the most obvious example of Hollywood cannibalizing an original work. Yes, The Shining worked in becoming one of the best horror movies ever made, as many other films did. But that’s because changes are necessary all the time.
Screenwriters who adapt books into movies or TV shows, and who are often the same authors of the book, understand the difference between the mediums. Books are bibles, and films and shows are excerpts that don’t always have all the information from characters, settings, and plots. But they often have what’s necessary to work. Just look at The Godfather. Or Game of Thrones, for that matter. Did anyone stop watching the show because it wasn’t faithful enough?
- Release Date
- April 17, 2011
- Cast
- Kit Harington , Isaac Hempstead Wright , Iain Glen , Peter Dinklage , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Emilia Clarke , Maisie Williams , Sophie Turner , John Bradley , Lena Headey , Liam Cunningham , Aidan Gillen , Alfie Allen , Conleth Hill , Rory McCann , Jerome Flynn , Jacob Anderson , Kristofer Hivju , Gwendoline Christie , Nathalie Emmanuel , Carice Van Houten , Natalie Dormer , Stephen Dillane , Charles Dance , Charlotte Hope , Michelle Fairley , Jack Gleeson , Richard Madden , Hannah Murray , Sibel Kekilli , Julian Glover , Brenock O’Connor , Rose Leslie , Michael McElhatton
- Seasons
- 8
