George R.R. Martin hopes to see The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power succeed – but he very much wants the Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, to do better.
Speaking to The Independent Martin said he doesn’t like how people are pitting the shows against each other – with House of the Dragon being released on August 21 and Rings of Power on September 2 – but he’s competitive enough to want his show to outdo the other.
“The minute the dates were announced, it’s ‘oh, the battle for fantasy supremacy. It’s Rings of Power versus House of [the] Dragon, who will win?,'” Martin said. “I don’t know why they always have to do that.”
“I hope both shows succeed. I’m competitive enough; I hope we succeed more,” he added. “If they win six Emmys, and I hope they do, I hope we win seven. But nonetheless, it’s good for fantasy. I love fantasy. I love science fiction. I want more shows on television.”
Competition or not, the shows releasing close together certainly mark an exciting time for fantasy fans, with Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones arguably being the two biggest fantasy stories of the modern age.
House of the Dragon takes place roughly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and follows Daenerys Targaryen’s ancestor Aegon (later dubbed the Conqueror) as he wages war against the Seven Kingdoms.
The Rings of Power takes place during The Second Age of Middle Earth’s history, a time only briefly touched on in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Amongst its many characters is Isildur, the ancestor of Aragorn and the king who cut Sauron’s finger off and claimed the One Ring.
While some members of the Fellowship are excited about it, with Sean Astin – Samwise Gamgee himself – saying he got chills when watching a preview, Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen forgot about the show entirely.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.