Matt Smith in battle in 'House of the Dragon'Image via HBO
By
Chris McPherson
Published Feb 1, 2026, 7:20 PM EST
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The behind-the-scenes drama at House of the Dragon is starting to rival the Targaryen civil war itself. After George R.R. Martin publicly described his relationship with showrunner Ryan Condal as “abysmal,” HBO’s chief content officer Casey Bloys has finally weighed in — and while he kept things diplomatic, he didn’t pretend everything was smooth sailing. Asked how he’d describe HBO’s relationship with Martin, Bloys gave a carefully measured answer.
“Like any good American family, I would prefer that our dysfunction stays behind closed doors. But here we are. What I would say is George introduced us to Ryan as the person that he thought would be the best to create House of the Dragon. And I will say Ryan has been an excellent showrunner and a really great partner and collaborator, so we embrace his vision and his creative choices, or we wouldn’t have done it.”
That statement lands after Martin revealed that what began as a close creative partnership deteriorated sharply after Season 1. According to the author, he was heavily involved early on. “I hired Ryan. I thought Ryan and I were partners. And we were all through the first season. I would read early drafts of the scripts. I would give notes. He would change some things. It was working really well — I thought.”
But Martin says things shifted during Season 2, when his feedback started going nowhere.
“Then we got into season two, and he basically stopped listening to me. I would give notes, and nothing would happen. Sometimes he would explain why he wasn’t doing it. Other times, he would tell me, ‘Oh, OK, yeah, I’ll think about that.’ It got worse and worse, and I began to get more and more annoyed.”
The situation reportedly escalated to the point where HBO asked Martin to send notes through the network instead of directly to Condal. “Finally, it got to a point where I was told by HBO that I should submit all my notes to them and they would give Ryan our combined notes,” Martin explained.
Bloys, for his part, framed creative disagreements as part of the process when adapting such a massive world.
“Listen, I consider it great to have George as the architect of this world. I mean, think about what he has created, the world, the families, the battles, all of the history, it’s pretty extraordinary. George is a great partner for us to have. The idea that he is going to agree with every creator or showrunner that is either developing or producing, two artists are not always going to agree. So, some of this comes with the territory.”
Is George R.R. Martin Still Working With HBO?
Bloys also confirmed that Martin remains under an overall deal with HBO, even if his involvement in House of the Dragon has fluctuated. When asked about Season 3, he acknowledged the author had stepped back. “He definitely took a step back. And I would say he’s definitely been focusing on Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And I will tell you one of the reasons why [head of drama] Frannie [Orsi] and I really thought about The Knight of Seven Kingdoms as an interesting adaptation is, we had always heard and know that it was George’s favorite, that was meaningful to us.” That series, based on Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas, appears to be where the author’s energy is currently focused — and possibly where his creative involvement will be more direct.
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Dive into the world of entertainment with Collider, delivering the latest news, reviews, and exclusive updates from movies, TV, and pop culture Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Meanwhile, the tension around House of the Dragon became public last year when Martin briefly posted a blog entry criticizing Season 2 changes. Though much of it was positive, he says the reaction focused on the negative. “I would’ve put it back up,” Martin admitted, “but then I would’ve looked like an idiot. And 80 percent of it was praise, but that’s not what people focused on.” At one point, according to Martin, the divide became so stark that he told Condal during a Season 3 discussion, “This is not my story any longer.”
House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are currently streaming on HBO Max.
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House of the Dragon
Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Action Fantasy Release Date August 21, 2022 Network HBO Showrunner George R.R. Martin Directors Clare Kilner, Geeta Patel Writers Gabe Fonseca
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Matt Smith
Prince Daemon Targaryen
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Fabien Frankel
Ser Criston Cole
The reign of House Targaryen begins with this prequel to the popular HBO series Game of Thrones. Based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set nearly 200 years before Game of Thrones, telling the story of the Targaryen civil war with King Viserys.
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