The co-creator of The Walking Dead believes that George R. R. Martin, the mind behind Game of Thrones, is “way better” than him in one aspect. Robert Kirkman, whose work is also known for shocking twists, admitted that Martin is the “master” in a specific area.
George R.R. Martin earns Robert Kirkman’s praise for character deaths
At the recent Annecy International Animation Festival, The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman paid tribute to George R. R. Martin for being a “master” of killing off central characters. “He is the master, and I am but the learner. He is way better at killing characters than me,” he said (via Deadline).
Kirkman recalled himself being the “lunatic in the writers’ room,” often wanting to kill off main characters and do “something weird.” His decision was not for shock value and to subvert the audience’s expectations. Instead, it was because it eventually became difficult to adapt his comic books into the live-action show.
Kirkman explained one of the things he loved about The Walking Dead comics was their unpredictability. However, viewers of the show who had already read the comics knew what would happen in future episodes. As a result, the writers changed several aspects of the storylines and character arcs to ensure the show remained fresh.
Although these changes helped create unexpected twists, Kirkman said that they also made later seasons more difficult to write. As the series progressed, some characters who were alive in the comics were already written off the show. This meant the writers had to take certain character stories from the comic books and use them for a completely different character in the adaptation. “It becomes tedious and frustrating,” the creator remarked.
Kirkman also recalled that he was “pushing to kill Daryl Dixon for a while.” Fortunately, that didn’t work out as the character, played by Norman Reedus, went on to become one of the most iconic characters in the franchise. Moreover, the character received his own spin-off series, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, which received critical acclaim.
Originally reported by Harsha Panduranga on SuperHeroHype.
