A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin has commented on the perceived rivalry emerging between the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon and Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Martin said he hopes both shows find success (but that he's still rooting for his own) while speaking to The Independent at the Santa Fe Literary Festival. "I'm competitive enough. I hope we succeed more," he said. "If they win six Emmys, and I hope they do, I hope we win seven." Martin mentioned the so-called "battle for fantasy supremacy" being built up around the two franchises. However, the author explained that as a fantasy fan himself, he would be happiest to see the genre succeed as a whole.
Martin said the premiere dates of the two shows are what he thinks is driving the rivalry. House of the Dragon is going to debut on Aug. 21 through HBO Max, while The Rings of Power will premiere on Sept. 2 on Prime Video. The author expressed exasperation at the nature of the competition, though insisted he would still like to win.
Martin commented on Amazon's acquisition of Lord of the Rings as well. "It's kind of a weird deal, as you know. Amazon bought Tolkien, but they didn't actually get any of the books," the author said. "They didn't get Lord of the Rings, they didn't get The Hobbit, they didn't even get The Silmarillion. I don't think they got Farmer Giles of Ham or Leaf by Niggle, but they got the appendices." Martin mentioned he was still excited to see what Amazon would come up with, explaining that there's a lot of interesting mythology in the appendices, which could be used for stories.
House of the Dragon is an upcoming HBO production based on Martin's book Fire & Blood. The book is a history of the fictional Targaryen dynasty that ruled Westeros prior to the events of Game of Thrones. House of the Dragon will tell the story of a succession crisis between Targaryens, which resulted in a civil war known as the 'Dance of the Dragons.' The new show is set hundreds of years before the events of the main series and stars Matt Smith and Emma d'Arcy as Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen, respectively
The Rings of Power will also be a prequel to the series it was sprung from. The show promises to cover the major events of Middle-Earth's Second Age, such as the forging of the One Ring and the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron. A few characters will be included that were seen in the Lord of the Rings films. Elrond is played by Robert Aramayo, an actor who previously had a role on Game of Thrones as young Eddard Stark. Yet for now most comparisons will have to wait until both shows are available to audiences.
House of the Dragon will be available to stream on HBO Max Aug. 21. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power follows suit on Prime Video on Sept. 2.
Source: The Independent