Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead are arguably the two biggest shows on television today — not counting any reality or live TV programs. There isn’t a noted rivalry between the shows or anything, unless you like to argue which show killed a number of blessed, well-loved characters the best. But both shows do have some interesting parallels, particularly when it comes to their source material.
Robert Kirkman brought The Walking Dead to life on the comic-book page, with shocking turns and twists that fans can’t wait to see on the screen. George R.R. Martin writes his stories for the book-reading crowd, with fans feeling the same way about his epic twists on the show. It’s the major difference between the two that disappoints Kirkman about Martin’s work, though, leading him to share what he would do in a recent profile with Rolling Stone:
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.
There’s a lot of trouble here, though. Kirkman does have the luxury of being able to continue on a different path with the comics as the show slowly marches behind. But there’s also a lot of filler and pathways on the show that hurt it or slow it down to keep Kirkman ahead. Martin may have shared some of his major plot points with the creators behind Game of Thrones on HBO, but that show will be long finished by the time he’s capped off the series.
While it’s removing some of the shock value from the books, the story will have an adaptation that has captivated people. The Walking Dead has no real end in sight as it is, so their method works for now. But it might not be looked upon as a great show in the years that follow, especially when it starts to meander around looking for rat-virus cures or going on supply runs for diapers. Whatever it is they do there.
(Via Rolling Stone)
