Summary

House of the Dragonshowrunner Ryan Condal addresses the plan for the show’s ending and how faithful it will be George R. R. Martin’s source material. Based on Martin’sFire & Blood, the hitGame of Thronesspinoff show first aired on HBO in 2022, chronicling the events of the Targaryen civil war. Ahead ofHouse of the Dragonseason 2’s premiere, the show was just renewed for season 3, but it remains unclear how many seasons the show will ultimately run for before concluding.

During a recent interview withJonatan Blomberg from MovieZine, Condal addressesHouse of the Dragon’s series ending and how closely it will follow Martin’s book.

Emma D’Arcy Queen as Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon season 2

According to the showrunner, there is already a plan in place regarding how the series will wrap up. While Condal affirms thatHouse of the Dragonwill “honor” the book, the difference in mediums between the book and the show means that there could be some changes. Check out Condal’s comment below:

“We’ve certainly talked about all that. We know where the ending is now. The writing team and I…and when I say the ending it’s really just where the curtain drops in this particular period of Targaryen history. Because, of course, after the Dance of Dragons is over there’s still another 120, 150 years of history before the Mad King is overthrown by Robert Baratheon. Which is really the end of the Targaryen Dynasty, and that leads us into the original series.

Rhaenyra from the House of the Dragon season 2 trailer

“So yeah, we’ve talked about it. I do want to honor as much of what is there in the book, but we also have to find a satisfying to this story that wraps things up in a different and unexpected way for a giant TV audience. You’re always balancing the written history and making television show. But I think the fun of Fire & Blood as a whole is it’s such a deeply rich and textured history that another writer can follow me after this and tell a story from the past before the Dance of Dragons or just after.”

Will House Of The Dragon Avoid Game Of Thrones' Ending Problems?

Game Of Thrones' Ending Was Highly Controversial

House of the Dragonseason 2 reviewsare already very positive, but theGame of Thronesending, and really the entire final season, was infamously controversial. Season 8 caught a lot of flak for feeling rushed, and for various narrative choices. One factor that’s widely considered to have negatively affected the final two seasons is that showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss surpassed Martin’s source material, meaning they weren’t drawing from the author’s own vision for the end of this grand saga.

Martin himself has been vocal that he thoughtGame of Thrones’endingshould have happened with season 10 and that he largely wasn’t consulted during the show’s final seasons. While it’s unclear how many seasons Martin wantsHouse of the Dragonto run for, several factors suggest the spinoff could end in a less divisive manner than its predecessor. First and foremost,Fire & Bloodhas been written. This meansthe entire Targaryen saga thatHouse of the Dragonis adapting is already on the page.

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House Of The Dragon Season 2 Just Spoiled Exactly How The Show Ends

House of the Dragon’s new season 2 trailer provides an epic glimpse of the war to come. One quote provides heavy foreshadowing for the show’s ending.

Condal, then, won’t run out of source material for later seasons, butMartin also seems to be more closely involved with the writing this time around. Martin revealed in December that he had a productive brainstorming session aboutHouse of the Dragonseason 3 and 4with Condal and the writing team. It remains to be seen howHouse of the Dragonultimately wraps up its story, but there’s certainly reason to be optimistic that the show won’t be as divisive asGame of Thrones.

House of the Dragonseason 2 premieres on HBO on June 16.