Ryan Condal isn't losing any sleep at night.
The House of the Dragon co-creator is fully aware that the HBO series, which wrapped up its first season on Oct. 23, won't always live up to the expectations of the passionate fans of the world created by author George R. R. Martin—but it's certainly not for a lack of trying.
"I've done a lot of work, hopefully successful work, to try to show them that I am one of them," Condal told Entertainment Weekly Oct. 26. "I come to this show as a massive, longtime fan of the books. I read the books multiple times. I've listened to all the audio books. I've now read Fire and Blood probably more times than any volume of the Song of Ice and Fire. I communicate with George regularly. I am as in it as you can be."
In spite of all that, Condal knows trying to make everybody happy is a fool's errand.
"I am still going to make choices that not all of you are going to like, but, on the whole, I am really looking after the sanctity and well-being of George's work," Condal explained. "I care about it immensely as both a fan and as the steward and the showrunner."
Ultimately, he can rest easy knowing that he's bringing his heart and soul to the show, saying, "As long as I can lay my head on the pillow at night knowing that I have brought that kind of love and fidelity to his work, then I feel like I've done my job."
As for season two, Condal teased that he has given thought to turning House of the Dragon into an anthology series, which would chart different eras of Targaryen family history.
"I, as an author, writer, fan, want to tell a whole bunch of stories now that it's not just the Dance of the Dragons, but the things that preceded to the things that led to it," he revealed. "What happens 50 years after when they're still in power, but they don't have any dragons left? I think those are the interesting things to me, and I think that's the thing that keeps this fresh and alive, because there's a lot of other themes to be explored within the different facets of the Targaryen dynasty."
We're sure the fans won't complain one bit.
The first season of House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max.