How George R.R. Martin Feels About Westworld's Game Of Thrones Cameos

game of thrones drogon

Westworld has been raising at least as many questions as it answered in the third season so far, but a recent episode included some appearances that apparently shouldn't be taken as more than quick cameos. Game of Thrones' biggest dragon turned up on Westworld, and showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss were in the mix as well. George R.R. Martin, who penned the A Song of Ice and Fire novels that inspired Game of Thrones, weighed in on Drogon and the showrunners on Westworld:

I thought it was a fun moment, and it made me smile. Subsequently, of course, the internet has blown up over the cameo, as the internet is wont to do. Some people loved the cameo, some hated it, and everybody, it seems to me, is making way too much of it. Hey, folks, c’mon. It was just a bit of fun. A sort of Easter Egg. You all like Easter Eggs in your video games, don’t you? If you blinked, you could have missed it… kind of like the appearance of Yul Brynner’s ‘man in black’ robot from the original WESTWORLD movie that appeared first season. I have been known to do that sort of thing myself.

The Game of Thrones cameos of Drogon, David Benioff, and Dan Weiss were definitely noticeable for Game of Thrones fans but amounted to less than 20 seconds of screentime. Westworld didn't even call much attention to their interactions in the grand scheme of things.

Even though Westworld is known for packing in small scenes that can come back in big ways, George R.R. Martin indicates this Game of Thrones connection was just a fun moment. Fans shouldn't count on Drogon having a major part to play in the rest of Season 3.

Interestingly, George R.R. Martin also revealed on his website that he didn't actually know the Game of Thrones cameos were happening on Westworld. Instead, Westworld co-creator and co-showrunner Jonah Nolan told Martin that he should be sure to catch the next episode because "there might be something that would amuse" him. As a Westworld fan, Martin "would have been watching in any case," and he "was indeed amused" when the three Ds of David Benioff, Dan Weiss, and Drogon appeared on screen.

In case you missed the Game of Thrones cameos on Westworld, here's what went down:

Surprisingly, Game of Thrones wasn't the only popular project with scaly creatures to get a nod on this particular episode of Westworld. The "buyer" with a startup in Costa Rica could be none other than InGen, a.k.a. the company behind the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. I've seen Jurassic Park enough times to know that a fire-breathing dragon never made the cut, but I'd say the nod to the dino movie was definitely fun.

What kinds of cameos are in store in the rest of Westworld Season 3? George R.R. Martin may not find any more Thrones cameos this season, but hopefully that will give him time to finish Winds of Winter without pop culture distractions. Find out what's next on Westworld with new episodes airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. Westworld was not one of the many series with production halted by the coronavirus, so fans can look forward to the full third season airing as intended.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).