House of the Dragon: George RR Martin desired a new introduction for his series

George RR Martin, the author of Fire & Blood, claimed that he had offered a different starting point in his book for the House of the Dragon series. He said this in an interview with fellow fantasy writer David Anthony Durham for Penguin Random House.

George said that choosing where to start telling the tale of the House of Targaryen was one of the most challenging creative choices the series' creators had to make. “One of the authors intended to start it after Aemma had passed away. Skip the Great Council and the competition; instead, start when you hear a scream and discover that Aemma is dead.”

He continued, “That was a potential situation. Another author wished to start even later, with Viserys' passing. What occurs there, though? Then, it becomes difficult to deliver all of that information through dialogue or flashbacks. But we talked about all of these options.”

According to a combination of Nielsen data and first-party statistics, the first episode has now been viewed by over 20 million viewers across linear, on-demand, and HBO Max platforms in the US, the firm reported.

The precursor to HBO's popular fantasy series Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, is based on Martin's Fire & Blood novel. The show's second season is anticipated to premiere in 2024.

The American author stated what he would have desired the beginning point to be.

“I would’ve begun it like 40 years earlier, with an episode I would’ve called The Heir and the Spare. Jaehaerys' two sons, Aemon and Baelon, are alive, and we see the friendship but also the rivalry between the two sides of the great house. Following Aemon's unintentional death in Tarth at the hands of a Myrish crossbowmen, Jaehaerys must choose the new heir. Is she the daughter of the recently deceased son, or is she the teenage daughter of the second son who is a man and has children of his own? You could have presented all of that information, but then you would have had at least another 40 years,” Martin was quoted as saying.

In the end, the series starts with King Jaehaerys Targaryen calling the Great Council to decide whether Princess Rhaenys, the daughter of his eldest son, or Prince Viserys, the son of his second son, should be his heir. There is no right or wrong place to start, according to Martin, who has expertise in the film and television industries. “There are many ways you can approach these things and if you do it well, it can work.”

Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans are among the ensemble cast members in House of the Dragon.