George R.R. Martin explains the difference between 'legitimate' and 'illegitimate' changes in adaptations.
Adapting books into shows and movies certainly isn't a new concept in Hollywood, and George R.R. Martin and Neil Gaiman are two authors who are no strangers to seeing their work put onscreen. Martin is best known for writing the books that Game of Thrones and now House of the Dragon are based on, and Gaiman's most recent project was Netflix's Sandman with a second season of Good Omens on the way.
Martin talked about the"obligation to be faithful to the written material," which he called a"controversial" issue in Hollywood."How faithful do you have to be? Some people don't feel that they have to be faithful at all. There's this phrase that goes around: 'I'm going to make it my own.' I hate that phrase. And I think Neil probably hates that phrase, too," Martin shared."I do," Gaiman replied.
Martin continued,"There are changes that you have to make – or that you're called upon to make – that I think are legitimate. And there are other ones that are not legitimate." He brought up adapting Roger Zelazny's The Last Defender of Camelot for an episode of The Twilight Zone and how budget constraints forced him to choose between having horses or an elaborate Stonehenge-esque set.
"Why is the Iron Throne in Game of Thrones not the Iron Throne as described in the books? Why is it not 15 feet high and made of 10,000 swords? Because the ceiling in our soundstage was not 15 feet high! We couldn't fit it in there, and they weren't willing to give us St. Paul's Cathedral or Westminster Abbey to shoot our little show in," Martin joked.