Saturday 9 April 2011

News Flashing | Seeding The Endgame in A Game of Thrones

A week tomorrow and A Game of Thrones will be gracing your screens and mine. I can hardly wait, needless to say. No, I still haven't made a bond of my word and read the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire - though I did finally buy a copy - but I can't imagine that'll last long, once the show's worked its magic on me. I just don't want to spoil it for myself, not now we're so close. Does that make any sense?

Anyway.

In an interview with D. B. Weiss and David Benioff on TV Guide the other day, ostensibly about all this back-and-forth between George R. R. Martin and Damon Lindelof of Lost fame, the executive producers of HBO's near-as-dammit adaptation of A Game of Thrones went to lengths to assure readers they were't planning on "pulling a Lost" come the last episode of the series. That's the last episode of the last season.

And they know this... how?

Why, because they've been in consultation with the man himself: they've read most of A Dance With Dragons and the author has told them, in so many words, how it all ends. And not just A Dance With Dragons, but A Song of Ice and Fire entire.


A neat nugget of news, in the first. Of particular interest because of the following comment, from Benioff:

"Getting to read that is incredible. It's so much fun, but it's also really helpful for us because George had created such an immaculate beautiful world and we want to make sure that if there are going to be major developments in future seasons, we make sure we seed it properly in the first season."

In short, you GRRM devotees might want to keep your eyes peeled, because these folks, they know. And perhaps what scenes above and beyond the events of the books they deem to add in will be in service to certain story threads pivotal to the end of A Song of Ice and Fire.

You lot'll be better set to spot them than I, no doubt. But bear in mind I totally called Fauxlivia's baby. There really might be something to this...

3 comments:

  1. I completely agree. I don't reread/read anything just before a movie/television show. I prefer having read that book at least a year before the movie/show because then instead of being critical, you're just remembering the good parts.

    After 6 years since I last read AGoT, I'm thinking the show will blow me away. :D

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  2. Me too. I get chills just thinking about it. This is a story I just know I'm going to adore, and after the show, there are all the books, and what better excuse to devote a month or two to them than the sort of shivering, life-affirming excitement I felt after watching The Lord of the Rings for the first time?

    And that's what I expect, no less. :)

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  3. I've made the somewhat odd decision to not watch this, at least not right away. First, there are the practical reasons. I don't have HBO, and a DVD set would be no doubt cheaper than getting it. But, more importantly...if I start watching this, and it sucks, I'm worried it's going to rob my enjoyment of my favorite books in all of fantasydom. And it wouldn't have to suck to do that. My expectations for every scene are so unreasonable that I can't see any company - even one with HBO's reputation - ever living up to them. If it gets great reviews (or, likely, even if it doesn't) I'll check out the DVD, but until then I'll be on the sidelines for this.

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