Summary

George RR Martin faces challenges working with screenwriters due to protecting his source material.
Authors like Martin have emotional investments in their works, leading to issues with adaptation changes.
Filmmakers alter books for better fit and market appeal, leading to the tension between fidelity and creativity.

George R.R. Martin got candid about working with Hollywood screenwriters. The popular author, whose works have been adapted for TV series and Films, shared his pet peeve during the collaboration process.

Martin is an author, screenwriter, and television producer. He is best known for his A Song of Ice and Fire book series, which inspired HBO's hit Game of Thrones. Martin served as co-executive producer and writer for the series. He is also involved in House of the Dragon, which is based on his book Fire & Blood. Martin's "Dunk & Egg" novellas are also getting an adaptation in the upcoming 2026 HBO series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He is actively involved in the adaptations of his books, and in a recent event, he admitted that the most challenging part is when he works with other writers.

Martin joined author Joe Abercrombie at the Kimo Theatre in May to talk about writing, reading, fandom, and other stuff. They also answered some questions from the audience. During the chat, Martin asked Abercrombie if he had collaborated with anyone working on fiction stories. The latter said he was difficult to work with, partly because he was an editor and they only did what they were told, and while he improved others' work, it wasn't his piece. So, he decided to shift to being a writer to have his own work, but he hasn't found one he wants to collaborate with on fiction. While Abercrombie found collaborating in other fields a "great process," he admitted that he became "too jealous of the control to give up" when it came to fiction. At that point, Martin said, "Television and film are ultimately collaborative." He acknowledged working with directors, actors, studio executives, and writers. He admitted that the "hard part" is "dealing with other writers." He clarified that he was only speaking for himself and not for him and Abercrombie. He said (via Becca Monet's YouTube channel):

They're adapting your book or your story, and they hire someone else to do it, and there's a phrase that they empower this writer to – okay, take The Great Gatsby, but make it your own. And I don't want anyone to make The Great Gatsby their own.

The A Dance with Dragons author has issues with this because he felt that in most cases, when a Hollywood screenwriter makes something their own they do not improve the source material. However, in a separate interview earlier this year, Martin praised the "substantial changes" made in the House of the Dragon for Viserys Targaryen, who was portrayed by Paddy Considine. The scribe said he wrote Viserys as a "very minor" character in the book. However, when Considine portrayed the character in the HBO series, his version of the character was "so much better" than how he visualized it in his works. Martin jokingly said that after watching Considine's performance in the show, he wanted to rewrite his book.

Martin being protective of his work is understandable. Of course, he spent years writing, revising, and publishing his work. In a previous interview with Collider earlier this year, when he promoted In The Lost Lands with Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson, Martin called the stories he created his children. Authors have an emotional investment in their works, and it's totally offensive when the key points, character motivations, and themes are changed to the point that they can't recognize that it is their story. In most film and TV deals, the creative control is handed over to the studio or showrunners, so the writers are often sidelined from major decisions. For instance, The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski admitted that Netflix didn't listen to his recommendations about the series.

On the flip side, screenwriters and filmmakers change the narrative of the book due to time constraints, pacing, and audience and market considerations. First, they can't fit the hundreds of pages into a 2.5-hour film or TV episode with a 40-60 minute runtime. Also, the internal monologues don't translate well visually. Plus, TV and films need to satisfy the three-act structure — setup, confrontation, and resolution — for a complete story arc. Another key consideration is the audience; studios may push for romance, action, or younger leads, depending on what is commercially viable. This is indeed a challenging part of the collaboration process, but all things can be discussed. With Martin having tons of works being adapted on screen, he has probably learned how to negotiate to still keep control over his works.

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