George R.R. Martin says his A Song of Ice and Fire ending won't be as "happy" as the HBO show's, and it's especially bad news for Tyrion and Sansa fans

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones
(Image credit: HBO)

Ask almost any Game of Thrones fan, and they'll tell you that things didn't end particularly well for their favorite character. Those who loved Sansa were pleased to see her crowned Queen of the North, sure, and Davos lovers might have been satisfied with him heading off on a sea-faring adventure. The less said about Jon and Daenerys' divisive send-offs, though, the better.

Creator George R.R. Martin, however, says he was planning to conclude things in even bleaker ways in the long-awaited last books in his A Song of Ice and Fire series.

"I was going to kill more people," the author revealed in a candid new interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "Not the ones they killed [in the show]. They made it more of a happy ending. I don't see a happy ending for Tyrion. His whole arc has been tragic from the first. I was going to have Sansa die, but she's been so appealing in the show, maybe I'll let her live …"

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.

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