After the controversial final seasons,Game of Thronesis unquestionably one of the biggest cultural phenomena ever to grace the small screen. The series was adapted from the genre-defining works of George R.R. Martin, and the fact that there are still stories of his left means fans are guaranteed moreThronescontent, whether it’s a good idea or not.House of the Dragonis setto release on New Years Day next year, depicting the downfall of House Targaryen and the resulting civil war. It is adapting the second half of Martin’s 2018 novelFire & Blood,itself still awaiting a yet unannounced second volume.
Game of Throneswas the kind of project that dominated the cultural consciousness. The series was a highly anticipated adaptation of a beloved story which only seemed to grow in viewership as the seasons went on. Even as the quality faltered and some fans turned hard against it, the series was selling out theaters for season premiers and always remained one of the most talked about things on television. Most fans will atest that the later seasons and especially the conclusionfailed to live up to the massive expectationsset by the series. Despite this, the enduring success and massive cultural cache the property commands ensures that HBO will keep trying to bringGame of Thronesback to its former glory.
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House of the Dragonis not being created by the showrunners behindGame of Thrones.D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, formerly beloved creators of the fantasy epic, seem to have no involvement with the upcoming prequel.George R. R. Martin has a creator creditonHouse of the Dragon,as well as the executive producer credit he had onGame of Thrones.This suggests he may have some more involvement with the series than he did with the original, but he is not set to write or direct. Some fans maintain thatThrones’downfall came as soon as the series outpaced the novels, but the upcoming prequel will likely face the same issue if it makes it to multiple seasons.
The other creator listed forHouse of the Dragonis Ryan Condal. Condal has been working in Hollywood since 2008, but his early career is filled with unproduced scripts he had a hand in. He helped to write a film adaptation ofParadise Lostand ofThe Art of War,as well as a TV adaptation of the comic bookThe Sixth Gun,none of which ever saw release. He does have screenplay credits on 2014’sHerculesand 2018’sRampage,the former based on a graphic novel series and the latter based on a late 80’s arcade game. Condal’s only TV credit is as creator of the USA Network’sColony, a sci-fi drama that ran almost 3 seasons, being canceled just before its 3rd season finale. Condal’s track record, while not awful, does not particularly inspire hope in the series.
Game of Throneswas always a loose adaptation of its source material, routinely diverting in many ways to explore new aspects of the massive story with Martin’s blessing. This good-natured rearranging of the stories seemed to fall apart, along with the series as a whole, in the final seasons. Weiss and Benioff swiftly went from two of the most respected showrunners in modern television to heavily mocked pariahs in the span of a season or two. Numerous big projects of theirs seemed to falter as the series took its tragic dive, from their instantly protestedConfederateseries to their supposedStar Warstrilogy. It is hard to know to what degreeGame of Throneshas bounced back from thismassive cultural shift against it and its creators.
The biggest hurdle toHouse of the Dragonmight just bethe book it’s setting out to adapt.Fire & Bloodis the worst reviewed novel in theSong of Ice and Fireuniverse. Its closest competitor in that category is the fourth book,A Feast for Crows,which received very mixed reception, largely because it didn’t include any of the series most popular characters, Daenerys, Tyrion or Jon Snow.Fire & Bloodhas that problem to a much greater degree, taking place centuries before the birth of any character fans are likely to have heard of. The prequel novel was panned by some as little more than tedious homework, a damning criticism for an author whose works are typically spellbinding epics.
Even when critics panned earlier entries inA Song of Ice and Fire,they typically still praised its immersive fantasy. Most couldn’t stay mad at the series, an issue not experienced by critics ofFire & Blood.The upcoming adaptation is facing a serious uphill climb. Between the inexperienced showrunner, thebadly damaged cultural vibetowards the project, and the possible inferiority of the source material,House of the Dragonjust looks like a tough proposition.
The series might look like it’s in a bad spot before its release, but with the hard work of George R. R. Martin and a crew of talent, a powerful fantasy epic could still come from this troubled production.House of the Dragonwon’t recapture the magic, it may not even be necessary, but it could still be great.
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