George R.R. Martin hopes the Lord of the Rings series is good—but not better than House of the Dragon.
The Game of Thrones creator shared his honest thoughts on the two shows, which are set to air simultaneously this September, telling The Independent, “I know a lot of articles, the minute the dates were announced, it’s: ‘Oh, the battle for fantasy supremacy. It’s Rings of Power versus House of Dragon, who will win?’ I don’t know why they always have to do that.”
Martin said he wants both shows to “succeed,” but added, “I’m competitive enough. I hope we succeed more. If they win six Emmys, and I hope they do, I hope we win seven.”
Game of Thrones, based on Martin’s books, aired its final season on HBO in 2019 but will be revived via the prequel series House of the Dragon in August. The Lord of the Rings movies, based on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s books, last aired an installment in 2014.
All in all, Martin is just glad to see the fantasy genre getting its recognition, even if it means Game of Thrones has a new dragon to slay. As he said, “It’s good for fantasy.”