'They never make it better': George RR Martin slams Hollywood remakes for ruining classic stories

Celebrated author George R.R. Martin expressed disappointment in Hollywood writers and producers for ruining the legacy of great written stories.

The "Game of Thrones" author took to his own website to share his thoughts on the constant remakes and reimaginings being pumped out by Hollywood studios.

After reminiscing about his past comments on the obligation to stay true to source material, Martin stated that little has changed since he made such remarks in 2022.

"Very little has changed since then. If anything, things have gotten worse. Everywhere you look, there are more screenwriters and producers eager to take great stories and 'make them their own,'" Martin wrote on his blog.

The writer then cited numerous authors who he claimed have had their legacy trampled on by studios adding their own twist.

"It does not seem to matter whether the source material was written by Stan Lee, Charles Dickens, Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, Raymond Chandler, Jane Austen, or … well, anyone," he continued.

"No matter how major a writer it is, no matter how great the book, there always seems to be someone on hand who thinks he can do better, eager to take the story and 'improve' on it. 'The book is the book, the film is the film,' they will tell you, as if they were saying something profound. Then they make the story their own."

'They never make it better, though. Nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, they make it worse.'

Martin had similar sentiments in 2022 when he and fellow author Neil Gaiman buried Hollywood for its love of reimagining books. The 75-year-old said it was a controversial issue in Hollywood to feel obligated to be "faithful to the written material."

"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 continued, according to Variety.

Gaiman agreed and referred to his own work "Sandman" as something that had been perpetually adapted.

"I spent 30 years watching people make 'Sandman' their own. And some of those people hadn't even read 'Sandman' to make it their own, they’d just flipped through a few comics or something."

Martin's latest comments came just weeks after Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on an earnings call that the studio would continue with more remakes and sequels because "they're known" and easier to market.

The consistent reimaginings of classic stories are happening elsewhere, too, with Warner Bros. having recently announced yet another "Lord of the Rings" production slated for 2026, for example.

"They never make it better, though. Nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, they make it worse," Martin added in his blog.

The author did save room for praise of one adaption, however. He celebrated the FX series "Shogun," saying he thought "the author would have been pleased" with the adaptation.

"Once in a while, though, we do get a really good adaptation of a really good book, and when that happens, it deserves applause."

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