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Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity, News, Game of Thrones
Shola Lee
Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin has explained why he doesn't want to end up like Stan Lee.
Before everyone who stans, well Stan, comes for George, hear him out - he's talking about business, rather than any personal kind of beef.
George made the comment as Game of Thrones fans everywhere gear up for the soon-to-be-released, please don't be disappointing we beg you, prequel series: House of the Dragon.
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House of the Dragon, is based on George's novel Fire & Blood and premieres HBO 21 August and we are literally counting down the days on our own make shift iron throne - it's a sofa with a silver blanket but still.
The upcoming spin-off is set 200 years before Game of Thrones but is set to be just as gory as its predecessor.
While George's influence over his fantastical characters is clear, he's still contemplating his position as a franchise creator and where he fits amongst the greats.
We'd argue he's pretty high up there, but George explained in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he's still trying to find his place: "Sometimes I sit around trying to figure out who the hell I am in this whole scenario."
"Am I George Lucas? Am I Gene Roddenberry? Am I Stan Lee? How do I relate to this IP? Because those are three different stories as to where they wound up."
George was then asked if he wanted to be Stan Lee, to which the writer replied: "I don’t know. Not Stan Lee at the end. He had no power, no influence. He wasn’t writing any stories. He couldn’t say, ‘Don’t do this character'. He was just a friendly person they brought to conventions and who did cameos. To be side-lined on the world and characters that you created, that would be tough."
As executive producer on the new series, like Game of Thrones, George will have a say in what does and does make the cut in the adaptation of his books.
And his commitment to protecting his characters rang true among fans.
Some taking to Twitter to respond to his recent comments.
One user said: "not having control over the characters YOU created, it's like when great small businesses r bought by big franchises that ruin the whole business just to commercialise it."
But some weren't having it, still upset about the ending of Game of Thrones, with another user saying: "Did he just forget about S8?"
For those not clued up, George's book wasn't finished so Game of Thrones series writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss went off the beaten track, and a lot of people weren't happy.
Still, given that the the new spin-off series House of the Dragon is largely based on a finished book, we expect George to have a fair amount of influence on the series.
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