David Benioff and Dan Weiss, writers and producers of Game of Thrones, were interviewed recently on a Sirius Radio show called What’s Worth Watching hosted by Jon Heim and Jenny Hutt. In the interview they talk mostly about the usual stuff (the child actors are great, George’s story is brilliant, etc.) although they do drop a few new interesting tidbits (Jack Gleeson smokes a pipe!). But there are two exchanges that I think were particularly interesting for devoted fans of the series. One has to do with character cuts and one has to do with the season two storyline.
First off, when Jon (who has read the books) asks which characters they wish they could have kept in this first season, David & Dan’s answer is vague but potentially revealing. Here is the transcript:
Jon: Are there any characters from the first book that you wish you could’ve got into this series that didn’t make the cut?
Dan: We were so aware of the kind of choices we’d have to make, we knew we’d have to condense and cut and what-have-you, so I feel like from the beginning, one of our main jobs was to focus in on who we loved and who we didn’t think we could do without, so I feel like we got most of the ones we really, really…
David: And I know Jon you’re a Blackfish fan, so I apologize. But the truth is there are so many new characters coming in, so that could be confusing. Many more than characters who die in the first season. And that keeps happening, each season there are new characters coming in, and at a certain point you have to be careful because, a.) there is a budget, and b.) we have about 540 minutes to tell the entire story each season. And you can only go back and forth between so many characters before it all starts to feel so diffused that you lose track of what’s going on and you lose touch with the central characters.
Jenny: But next season a lot is going to happen with Bran and Rickon…
David: Oh yeah. All of the characters that you know from the first season are back in a major way it’s just there are some new characters as well. That’s what I’m saying, I guess, we need to make sure we have enough time to tell all these stories properly and that does mean there are certain stories that we’re just not gonna touch on, certain minor plotlines or minor characters we just don’t have time to give proper weight to. We’d rather not throw them in there for a 30 second cameo as opposed to spending more time with our central characters.
The other interesting answer... As they are wrapping up their interview, Benioff makes an interesting comment about one of the themes of season two:
Jon: Season two, you hard at work on it now? What can people expect?
Dan: In Belfast, typing away, prepping away, designing away, building away…
David: Dragons, direwolves…
Dan: …and not sleeping away.
David: Jenny, you’re gonna be happy, season two is the season of the love story.
Source: Winter-is-Coming
Not a lot of information, but I think their comment on cutting minor stories and characters if they couldn't give them enough time to honor the books was interesting and possibly revealing as to what may may Season Two and beyond.
ReplyDeleteAlso, for book readers, Saying Season Two is the season of the love story seems to mean a certain story from the books will be greatly enhanced for Season Two. Not the direction I would have taken necessarily, but I trust D&D after their stellar work on Season One.
We're already using "D&D" as an abbreviation for these producers? Are they already that well known that people will understand the reference?
ReplyDeleteI guess I have done it from Episode 1... Just so much easier. My thought was that the article itself mentions them by name, but I could have said the writers'producers or creative team.
ReplyDeleteThink it needs changing? I am just used to referring to them as D&D....
Heh. I was just about to reply to tell you not to bother with it. I figure any fan of the show would just see "Game Of Thrones" and click the link regardless.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading the first book now and so far it's incredibly faithful from book to screen... only about 130 pages in though so far!
ReplyDeleteYa their adaptation was impressive and faithful like you said.
ReplyDeleteThey had to remove a lot obviously just to make it a ten episode season, but they really tried to cut only minor acts or minor characters. Some favorite bits of mine didn't make the cut, but they were not integral to the overall story.
I'm so intrigued how they will do Season Two forward. Book One is really the only book that is a self-contained story. The rest overlap connecting books or don't have such tight seasonal arcs like the first book/season.
Enjoy the book! It should really add to what you saw in Season One of Game of Thrones.
I'm also curious how they'll handle Book 2. Some characters don't have a lot of forward-momentum after the end of Book 1 with the exception of one or two big moments(two characters in particular).
ReplyDeleteI know right! I know what they are doing to Jaime to add more scenes, but not exactly sure on the two others I wonder about.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm about 27 pages in and amazed already :)
ReplyDeleteI think they made the right choice in leaving some of the characters out. As a fan of the books I would love to see every single character on screen, but I think it will be too confusing, and they would need 20 - 25 episodes instead.
ReplyDeleteTrue blood added more people than the book had, and I think they have too many story lines. Hopefully GoT will stay faithful to the books and let the characteres stories play out.
Jaimes story is gonna be awesome! but it will take them a few episodes to set it up.
ReplyDeleteHis Book 3 exploits are some of my favorite story arcs in the saga so far. It will be fun to see them pad the Book 3 stuff and move the earlier bits to Season Two.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeleteI have wither understood or actually enjoyed the changes and edits they have made from book to TV honestly. Each book would take 3 or 4 seasons if they left everything in and still padded out non-POV roles... Ha!
The only 2 fairly minor complaints are the lack of Direwolves, which should be remedied in Season Two by all reports, and Lena Headey as Cersei. She just seems off to me.
Sophie Turner was not a favorite of mine either, but in the last episode or two she grew on me. So I will chalk up her performance in the earlier episodes to deliberate choices influenced by the direction the creative team wanted her to play the role.
Editing out The Blackfish or Mya Stone in no way affects the overall story as far as we know from the first 4 books. My guess is if the characters lost in the adaptation were important GRRM would have told D&D and they would have kept them in the series in some lesser role until later when they are needed.
The only change I can think of that affects the story some is cutting out Marillion's tongue (or possibly killing him). He was a fairly large part of events at one location in Books 3 & 4. It will be fun to see how they tweak that story arc to fit a speechless minstrel or jusst remove him from the events entirely.
Re: True Blood. I could not agree more! I love the books and I do enjoy the series but it is way to clogged down by unneeded supporting character story arcs. Still fun, but far less effective than the books in my opinion.
I´m reading book 3 right now. I´m almost done and I have to agree (again), there is some really great story lines in the third book. But I almost hate to say that I look forward to season 3. Right now I just hate that I have to wait 10 months for season 2.
ReplyDeleteYes, the direwolfs needs more character and more screen time. You certainly get a better idea of how the direwolfs are connected to it´s owner in the books. Ghost especially leaves a big impression.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with Lena H as Cersei, but she is also not one of my favorite characters. Neither in the books or the series.
I have to ask now....who is your favorite?
My favorite actor's performance in Got? Hmmm..
ReplyDeleteI think Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime really made me see a different side of the golden twin that I had missed when reading.
Dinklage embodies EVERYTHING that is Tyrion. I think Dinklage had more material to work with, but it's a damned impressive regardless.
I think of the actors I wasn't familiar with Maisie Williams as Arya has been incredible! She captured the book's spirit but still can use subtle looks or movements to make Arya her own.
I guess the good news is they will be moving some of Book 3 into Season Two to pad the roles that aren't as involved in Season Two.
ReplyDeleteBeing danish, I have to agree - Nikolaj Coster-Waldau is amazing.
ReplyDeleteTyrion is awesome. Love his story. I really like how this character is both good and bad. He is on the "wrong" side, but we all love him.
I also like Dany (though not so much in book 2) an Jon Snow. The whole world beyond the world fascinates me. Can´t wait to see what D&D does with that!
Maisie Williams does a great job as Arya. I really like her spirit, but I think that some of her story in book 2 and 3 is a little dragged out, so I´m not looking forward to seeing her as much as Jon, Jaime and Tyrion.
Yeah I think Jon, Dany and Arya have the biggest journeys in the saga ,but Jon and Dany do seem to have the most pivotal roles in the entire sage and seem to be set up for some great stories in the yet unwritten books.
ReplyDeleteProbably the most interesting to me too because their stories are the least predictable to me.I feel like I know the Seven Kingdoms somewhat, but North beyond the wall is a mystery as is Essos.H! I forgot NCW was Danish!
One other possibility comes from Nathalie Dormer's high profile possibly series regular casting as a relatively small book role. I wouldn't actually mind seeing more of that story/love triangle expanded. I like Robb and Renly's expanded roles on the show, but I wonder what that will mean for what they're excluding.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, they might also bring some S3 or even S4 stuff into S2.
Yeah :D! Awesome! I'm on my way through Book 1 again as well (on p. 400 ish). I hope you've noticed the huge amount of dialogue in the pilot straight out of the books.
ReplyDeleteI remember thinking exactly that when reading the second book! It was my least favourite because of its general lack of beginning/ending. It felt like it was the middle section of one long book spanning GoT to SoS... Which makes sense since Martin's original trilogy was going to start with a first book comprised of what are now the first three books.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, *SPOILER ALERT* my favourite of his Book 3 exploits involve is lengthy flashbacks of what lead him to become "The Kingslayer". I don't know how that's going to work on a show that seems hellbent on avoiding all things flashbacky.
ReplyDelete@Cadence1:disqus I'm sure they'll just use sexposition to get the flashback details in....Maybe he ans Cersei will josut again? XD
ReplyDeleteI´m so happy that you wrote that Dany and Jon are being set up for some great stories in the yet unwritten books. That must mean that they are still alive by the end of book 4. GRRM is so cruel some times. I´m almost done with book 3 and I have cried out NOOO!!! more than once.
ReplyDeleteI could be wrong but I think figuratively speaking Daenerys and Jon are the "fire" and "ice" of the A Song of Ice and Fire Saga... Or at least one pair of ice and fire.
ReplyDeletethat makes sense...I like that. Jon being Ice and Daenerys being fire. Cool! Haven´t thought of that.
ReplyDeleteI would not consider that one a "love story." I'd consider it more a story that leads me to want to smack a certain king repeatedly.
ReplyDeletei wonder if the are doing anything with regards to the show in belfast i.e filming, would love to actually see it.
ReplyDelete