George R.R. Martin has criticised the “toxic internet” culture over the Games Of Thrones finale backlash.
The writer behind the hit HBO show spoke about the largely negative reaction to season eight while talking to The Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming prequel series, House Of The Dragon.
“The fucking toxic internet and these podcasts out there saying that season eight left such a bad impression that people say, ‘Oh, I’m never going to watch them again’,” Martin told the outlet.
“I don’t trust them anymore.”
Casey Bloys, the HBO Max content chief, said: “It was a social media backlash. I think in multiple parts of our society, we are reminding ourselves that Twitter is not real life.
“We knew it was going to be divisive and, of course, you want all fans to be happy but that’s never going to happen.”
Bloys added: “There weren’t a lot of people walking around despondent or upset. It’s a take that reads well but probably doesn’t fully reflect viewer feelings.”
A petition calling on HBO to remake Game Of Thrones season 8 was signed over 1million times shortly after the penultimate episode, ‘The Bell’s, aired in May 2019. Later that year, GoT director Neil Marshall admitted that season 8 was “really rushed”.
Last summer, Martin promised that the conclusion to his book series will differ from that of the TV adaptation. HBO’s Game Of Thrones overtook its source material at the end of season five.
House Of The Dragon will premiere on August 21 via HBO Max in the US, and will be simulcast on Sky Atlantic/NOW in the UK in the early hours of August 22.
Set 200 years before the events of GoT, the forthcoming series is based on George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood and follows the Targaryen family during the Dance of the Dragons – a civil war among House Targaryen for the Iron Throne.
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