George R.R. Martin: User:dravecky (via Wikimedia) / Robert Kirkmen (modified with addition of George R.R. Martin): Gage Skidmore
When it comes to competition in the field of fantasy series, there's a bit of that going on in some level with The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones. Both series are based on an ongoing print series that with a continuous outpour in number of passionate fans, and both print series have been adapted to wildly popular TV series with a steady fan base.
That said, there's one difference between the two series that does not sit well with The Walking Dead creator comic book writer and TV series executive producer, Robert Kirkman.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Kirkman said Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin should not have spoiled his own work to the series' showrunners, Dan Weiss and David Benioff.
Kirkman said he would never spoil his readers by telling The Walking Dead showrunner Scott M. Gimple what he has in mind for the upcoming stories in his series.
The Rolling Stone Q&A went:
Do you have an end game for Dead in mind?
For the books? I do. I know how the story wraps up. The big question is when and how far in the distance that is. But I think that most people think, oh, why would he end it? It's so successful, he's going to keep throwing shit at the wall to keep it going. And that's not going to happen. You'll eventually be able to see that it all kind of comes together.
There's still plenty of story for the TV series to get to; you could tell the writers where you're going, and...
I would never do that. That's the one thing I'm disappointed in George R.R. Martin for doing. He should have just been like, F-ck you. You make it up now, I'll get to mine when I'm ready.
On one hand, Kirkman is right when it comes to spoilers. Even Game of Thrones showrunners Benioff and Weiss do not understand people who want to spoil a show by releasing spoilers.
On the other hand, I don't think it's for Kirkman to say what Martin can and cannot do with his story. It is Martin's story. In addition, not all Game of Thrones viewers read the books, and they may even not read the series at all even after the series has ended.
It may be confusing to Martin's readers when the next book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, Winds of Winter, is released. However, the TV adaptation for Kirkman's comic book isn't that faithful to the source material as well. It's also worth noting that the authors are executive producing their shows, so it's not like they can keep everything a secret to their respective showrunners. They're being paid and their jobs require them to tell their showrunners what is needed to make the TV shows work.
What do you think about Kirkman's comments?
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