George RR Martin would have picked different starting point for 'House of the Dragon' series

Oct 30, 2022

Washington [US], October 30 : 'Fire & Blood' author George RR Martin has claimed that he doesn't get his way on everything concerning the script for HBO's 'House of the Dragon' series, the show which is based on his book.
According to Deadline, Martin has said that he would have picked a different starting point in the story for the series. He made the statement during an interview with fellow fantasy writer David Anthony Durham on the RandomHouseBooks.com website.
"One of the writers wanted to begin it later, with Aemma dying. Skip the Great Council, skip the tournament, a scream sounds out, Aemma is dead, that's where you begin," Martin said.
He continued, "That was one possibility. Another of the writers wanted to begin even later than that, with Viserys dying. But what happens there? Then you have to present all that material in flashbacks or dialogue, that becomes challenging, too. But we discussed all these possibilities."
Revealing what he himself would have preferred the starting point to be, the American author said, "I would've begun it like 40 years earlier, with an episode I would've called 'The Heir and the Spare,'" reported Variety.
Ultimately, the TV series begins with the Great Council convened by King Jaehaerys Targaryen to decide whether his heir should be Princess Rhaenys, the daughter of his eldest son, or Prince Viserys, the son of his second son.
Martin, who has long experience in film and television, said there's no right or wrong answer on where to begin. "There are many ways you can approach these things and if you do it well, it can work," he said, as per Variety.