Last Updated on July 17, 2022
The showrunners for HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series have expressed their displeasure with the number of White characters in the George RR. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the book series on which the series is based. Co-showrunner Ryan Condal told Entertainment Weekly that he and Miguel Sapochnik made sure to cast non-white actors as characters who were White in the books.
Condal told entertainment weekly that he and Sapochnik had to do some “reimagining” when it came to casting. “It was very important for Miguel and I to create a show that was not another bunch of white people on the screen, just to put it very bluntly,” Condal said.
“The world is very different now than it was 10 years ago when [Game of Thrones] all started. It’s different than 20 years ago when Peter Jackson made the Lord of the Rings. These types of stories need to be more inclusive than they traditionally have been,” he continued.
HBO has frequently pledged support to the Black Lives Matter organization in recent years. The company — along with Netflix, Disney and other entertainment companies — praised the movement during the violent race riots of 2020.
“In solidarity with our Black colleagues, creators and fans, HBO proudly supports the Equal Justice Initiative and NAACP Legal Defense Fund as we strive to make a lasting impact,” wrote the company in a statement dated June 3, 2020.
Words are not enough. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/c1IjdukebV
— HBO (@HBO) June 3, 2020
The company has also green-lit a number of documentaries and series that focus on radical left-wing perspectives on race. “When we said ‘defund the police’ the world woke up,” said Spike Lee in a trailer for an HBO documentary on the 2020 riots.
“When we said ‘defund the police’ the world woke up.”
The second episode of Spike Lee’s #NYCEpicenters, which recounts the NYC demonstrations that took place in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, is streaming now on @hbomax. pic.twitter.com/pbJTU7kXB5
— HBO (@HBO) August 31, 2021
The House of The Dragon is set to debut this August. It is unclear whether the show will enjoy the success of its predecessor, as a large segment of the fan base expressed disappointment with the ending of Game of Thrones.
