Speaking at the Oxford Union last year, showrunner David Benioff discussed how George R.R. Martin is on board with the direction they're heading. "Luckily, we've been talking about this with George [R.R. Martin] for a long time," he said. "We know where things are heading. So, we'll eventually meet up at pretty much the same place where George is going. There might be a few deviations along the route, but we're heading towards the same destination."
For any viewers who read the books, Benioff told The Hollywood Reporter that they don't need to be worried about having things spoiled for them. "The show has diverged from the books quite dramatically by this point, but it's still George's world: The characters he's dreamt up in the world he created," he said. "At this point, given the fact that we're outpacing the novels, we all see the upside in the divergence: book readers won't be spoiled by what's to come on the show, and the show audience won't have to worry about spoilers from the unpublished books. And we're very happy that the show has led so many people to discover George's amazing books."
