George R.R. Martin has confirmed that he will not change his book ending based on the reaction to HBO’s final season of Game of Thrones.
The series has been one of the most talked-about shows of the decade. The utter devotion from fans put a lot of pressure on the show’s writer for the final season, which ultimately disappointed. In fact, fans were so upset with the way things wrapped up that a petition to remake season 8 reached one million signatures.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, George R.R. Martin, the man who wrote the novels on which the series is based, has revealed that he is not tempted to change his book ending based on fan reactions to the show. While previous seasons were based on his novels, the showrunners ran out of material for the final season, as the final book is still in progress.
“I want to write the book I’ve always intended to write,” Martin boldly declared.
“There is a temptation to change it — ‘Oh my god, it’s screwed up, I have to come up with something different.’” he said. “But that’s wrong. Because you’ve been planning for a certain ending and if you suddenly change direction just because somebody figured it out, or because they don’t like it, then it screws up the whole structure… I don’t read the fan sites. I want to write the book I’ve always intended to write all along. And when it comes out they can like it or they can not like it.”
There is still no release date in sight for the final book in the Game of Thrones series. Martin is in no rush to finish it now and has said: “There’s no longer a race. The show is over. I’m writing the book. It will be done when it’s done.”
