George R.R. Martin, the acclaimed author behind the epic fantasy series 'A Song of Ice and Fire' which was the basis of HBO’s 'Game of Thrones', has long been vocal about his views on adaptations of his work.
In a recent blog post, Martin revisited his longstanding concern regarding Hollywood adaptations. He lamented the prevalent mindset among screenwriters and producers that they need not adhere faithfully to the source material, stating, "No matter how major a writer it is, no matter how great the book, there always seems to be someone on hand who thinks he can do better."
Whether it’s Stan Lee, Charles Dickens, or J.R.R. Tolkien, Martin states there seems to be an inclination to "make the story their own", often resulting in subpar adaptations. "They never make it better, though," he says. "Nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, they make it worse."
Martin criticised the tendency to prioritise novelty over sticking to the original texts. However, he does acknowledge exceptions, one standout adaptation that he celebrated is FX’s recent take on James Clavell’s 'Shōgun'.
Calling the adaptation "superb", he goes on to say, "I think the author would have been pleased. Both old and new screenwriters did honour to the source material, and gave us terrific adaptations, resisting the impulse to 'make it their own'."
Despite his frustrations, Martin recognises that adaptations are a necessary part of bringing stories to a wider audience. However, he hopes that future adaptations will strike a balance between creativity and faithfulness to the original work.
