George R. R. Martin has commented on his blog in response to a question about his level of involvement with Game of Thrones. He also gives some history as to how this project all started.
My own experience in TV and film certainly helps. The fact that I understand the process somewhat undoubtedly made David & Dan and HBO more willing to have me involved on a meaningful basis.
A lot of this comes down to negotiation, however. What you want, what you’re willing to take, what you’re willing to give up to get it.
Most SF and fantasy writers do not make a whole lot of money from their books. So when some producer comes along and offers them an option, they see visions of Big Hollywood Bucks and jump at the offer. Which is fine, if all you want is the check.
The proper approach, the way I see it, is to meet with the producer/ screenwriter/ studio and whatever, get a feel for them, hear what they want to do, how they mean to approach the material… and accept or reject the offer, depending on the answers.
That was certainly my approach with ICE & FIRE. I met with Dan and David before I signed a thing. I liked them, liked their own work, liked everything they had to say about the books. We began from a basis of mutual respect, and it’s all been good.
Winter Is Coming: The sit-down with Benioff and Weiss may be old news to those who’ve been following this project since the very beginning (and when I say very, I mean starting back in 2007). But for some of you it may be new info. Plus it is always good to hear that this adaptation, from the start, has been handled with respect to the source material foremost in everyone’s mind. This makes it different from a lot of other adaptations out there (*cough*legendoftheseeker*cough*), and just proves that HBO, and David & Dan especially, know what they are doing.
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55 Comments
A nice read, for the newcomers in particular.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
On a semi-related note. I was wondering the other day of what the likely hood was that some people (I was thinking Jennifer Ehle) may have been hired for the Pilot only. Was there perhaps always the intent of reshooting the Pilot for episode 1?
It sounds unlikely to me but just wondered if the initial focus was to lay down the planned feel and look of the show for the HBO execs and reshoot for consistency later.
JackieQuote Reply
GRRM is quite protective of his children (novels he authored) and we are lucky he waited for the right medium (HBO) and the right people (D&D) to adapt his story. My faith in this series would drop the minute GRRM grows sour about the whole project and distances himself from it. But hopefully this will never happen. As he said, they have a respectful relationship and that’s why I’m confident the series will be as awesome as the books.
It’s nice of him to take the time to answer his fans like this, showing his enthousiasm for the tv series. Especially since he is quite busy shovelling snow these days. Unfortunately, we can’t help him in that task, but maybe we should collectively buy him a BIG shovel and send it his way :)
NymeriaQuote Reply
I’m so stoked about this tv series. GRRM’s Song of Ice and Fire are some of my favorite books. I’m currently rereading the series. I can’t wait for HBO to debut the show!
Sandy BranchQuote Reply
Nymeria,
I agree, as long as the author of the source material is happy with how it’s being adapted I think we’re all going to like it.
dizzyQuote Reply
Jackie, I don’t think this was the case. They may have cut a few corners here and there, but I don’t think they cast anyone with the intention of recasting them if they got the greenlight. For Ehle in particular, I’ve heard that it really was just a case of her realizing that being away from her family for 30 weeks or so was not what she wanted to do.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
I think, as about everyone, that GRRM’s excitement with the project is good, because he can keep the series true to the original novels. Also his previous TV experience keeps him not bothered or even being insulted, when producers have to cut some scenes or even characters (not to mention rewriting some scenes). And of course, that D&D want him being a part of the production.
There is no way George would distance himself from the show like Ursula Le Guin did with her Earthsea stories.
I’m waiting desperately for the show, although in Estonia, we’re more likely to get season 1 dvd-s, before it is bought by some of our TV-channels.
GatzbyQuote Reply
Jackie,
They probably expected to reshoot some, if not most of it, since it seems quite common in the industry to reshoot a pilot and even make some changes to the cast in between. But I don’t think Jennifer Ehle was hired for the pilot alone. Hre departure seemed to result from a later decision on her part, but that’s just my opinion.
Speaking of reshoots, I’d be curious to know if our famous Julia Frey scouted Malta at the time of her involvement with the pilot before choosing Morocco. It could also have been pushed by D. Benioff given he was there for Troy.
NymeriaQuote Reply
WiC,
It’s been pointed out by Vivi Suen yesterday, but it hasn’t been fixed (whereas the other typo she pointed out seems to have been fixed) so I thought I’d mention in again:
You link for Joseph Mawle on the cast page reads http://winter-is-coming.net/features/cast/josephy-mawle. You need to take the “y” out…
NymeriaQuote Reply
Thanks, I missed that one somehow. It’s fixed now though. :)
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Man, I wish HBO or Starz had picked up ‘Legend of the Seeker’… once Disney/ABC got a hold of it, all bets were off for Terry Goodkind. I am VERY happy that this is not the case for ‘Game of Thrones’ and GRRM. Everything I’ve seen reported here has been positive. I don’t think I’ll be disappointed *cough*legendoftheseeker*cough* ;)
Oh, and I appreciate the hard work and dedication from WiC and the other sites who contribute to keeping us informed! Thanks!!
LinayusQuote Reply
Interesting point I always assumed Julia was assessing the already chosen sites regards what would be required green screen wise etc. However maybe she had input on whether a site would be practical or not. {You reading this Julia? ;) }
Regards the move from Morocco to Malta, again it’s probably down to different requirements from filming a Pilot to a series. The sets etc were pretty much ready to go in Morocco and Doune didn’t require much dressing for the Great Hall. However for a whole series then sets can be build to spec etc and it could be that the Maltese economy and film industry is a better option than the Moroccan.
Maybe one day someone will explain ;)
Jackie MacPhersonQuote Reply
Linayus,
Regarding Legend of the Seeker
It has been a while since I’ve read the the first 4 books, but I’m not seeing a huge difference in the show, beyond it being a wee bit cheesy. The books were never that spectacular to start with…but could someone please enlighten me as to why the show misrepresents the story? It HAS been a long while since I’ve read one, I think I stopped halfway through the 5th…not sure though.
Kelsey Catherine SchmitzQuote Reply
^^IIRC all the little side-quests that go on in the show are filler that wasn’t there in the books. They took Sword of Truth and Xena’d it up. I only watched about 6-8 episodes though before I got sick of it, so I’m no expert. Others may be able to give better examples.
So glad ASOIAF is getting the professional treatment. I don’t think I could have handled seeing a cheesy Xena style show following Jon as he travels Westeros, helping the poor, righting the wrong, and making me vomit.
Gregory KeltonQuote Reply
Nymeria,
I asked Julia via Twitter whether she has input on locations and here’s her response…
As with all other depts, VFX has input on locations when looking for spots, pros/cons, etc. but we don’t get final decision.
I didn’t actually ask if Malta was scouted or not though.
Jackie MacPhersonQuote Reply
Re: Legend of the Seeker, from what I have heard the author’s primary concern was that the ethical and thematic core of the books got translated into the show. Basically, for him it’s not what happens, but how it happens. Goodkind is a bit of a nut about his philosophical theories.
BenQuote Reply
Gatzby,
You have to wait that long in Estonia? See this is a good example of when it’s perfectly fine to fire up a torrent site, in my opinion.
Mark HowardQuote Reply
Ben,
Addendum; Goodkind is a bit of a nut. Period.
Josh ParkerQuote Reply
The problem with Legend of the Seeker, was that it was picked up by a censored network. The moment I found it out – I knew the show would be crap. When you have to make your story kid friendly, everything good gets tossed out.
Glad to see HBO is taking care of Ice and Fire. No censorship = good show.
John GaltQuote Reply
John Galt,
Good to see ya here, JG. ;)
I’d rather not get into an in-depth discussion on LotS and it’s failings in relation to the SoT series.. but the show went overboard with the use of magical items/solutions, killing people and bringing them back to life, etc. Disney/ABC wanted another Xena/Hercules show and that’s not what Sam Raimi/Rob Tapert/etc set out to make. It turned into a cheesy fantasy show that used a popular book series to draw in viewers.
And while I enjoyed some elements of the show (the setting, score, and several of the cast were excellent), I just couldn’t ignore all the changes they were making when they were completely unnecessary.
LinayusQuote Reply
Linayus,
let’s be honest. after book 1 the Goodkind books got bad. the further they wen’t they worse they got. i mean one of the latter books is just an Ayn Rand novel with swords and sorcery instead of architecture or industrial tycoons.
WhoIsJacopoBelbo?Quote Reply
unfortunately fantasy is very rarely ever taken seriously. by the very nature of the genre those from outside the genre, ie tv/film producers, often don’t understand that there are as many kinds and flavours of fantasy as there are any other genre. there is good fantasy and bad fantasy. there is serious, adult themed dark fantasy. there is light hearted and more youth oriented fantasy. unfortunately in the past it has all usually got lumped into “kiddie” fantasy. and often the best source material got overlooked because it wasn’t “kid” friendly.
there is sooo much good, adult, serious, literary fantasy i would love to see done right on TV or in movies. maybe GoT will open some doors and break down some stereotypes so that such work can be done. but i am not holding my breath. the new BSG has not put a stop to a litany of pretty cheesy SF shows and has barely made a dent in the truly wretched film fare that pollutes SyFy.
things i would love to see put on tv/film with the same care as GoT:
1. Thomas Covenant Unbeliever – S. Donaldson
2. Elric Saga – M. Moorcock
3. Bas Lag Trilogy – C Meilville
4. anything by Guy Gavriel Kay
5. Prince of Nothing Trilogy – R Scott Bakker
6. War of the Flowers – T. Williams (this would make a great movie directed by del Toro)
WhoIsJacopoBelbo?Quote Reply
It’s all a matter of opinion. I enjoyed them all, as I have enjoyed a wide range of fantasy series.
LinayusQuote Reply
Has anyone given thought to how, for example, A Storm of Swords will ever fit into a single season’s worth of episodes? It’s epic length and scope alone easily warrants splitting it into two seasons, right?
Mark HowardQuote Reply
Mark Howard,
If I recall correctly GRRM gave a certain thought on it, a possibility of the seasons for the Storms.
It sounds rational to me because of the lenght of the material it self.
The RabbitQuote Reply
Mark Howard,
I would think it depends on how successful the series is. I can see them doing a 12-16 episode season for the third book.
Dustin ZerbyQuote Reply
Dustin Zerby,
^By the way thats my real name folks … darn you winter… I swore I’d never get a twitter acount but your site is just too good ;) – dizzy
Dustin ZerbyQuote Reply
Dustin Zerby, haha! Sorry.
Maybe I shouldn’t tell you that you could have gotten your avatar using Gravatar without having to sign up for a Twitter account? At any rate, now that you are on Twitter you should start following us @WiCnet. :)
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
hahaha!
“This makes it different from a lot of other adaptations out there (*cough*legendoftheseeker*cough*)”
i couldnt agree more. After that show came out i was very skeptic about ASoIaF going to screen, let alone television. We also heard the same promises of faith to the original story for Legend Of The Seeker, yet at the last moment they declared they were doing w/e the hell they wanted.
Yet even when those promises were made, Terry Goodkind never really made any comment on the matter to confirm the faith, as Martin had done with Dan and David. So with that amount of confidence coming from the story’s original writer, I’m hoping this will be what i’ve been waiting for. Something to make up for Legend of the Seeker, Dragonlance, The Golden Compass, Eragon, and even the latest Harry Potter movies…
HBO doing A Song Of Ice And Fire is going to be the most Epic thing since The Return Of The King!
Dave BrownellQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
done.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Sean Bean out on the town in Belfast this weekend:
http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/147964303
MyrilQuote Reply
Mark Howard,
A possible alternative to a lengthy season three is for them to move some material to the second season, so instead of a 14-15 episode second season and 19-20 episode third season we could have a 16-17 episode second and third season.
tysnowQuote Reply
testing gravatar…..
izakmoQuote Reply
Wert has a truly excellent post on IMDb about all the reasons this series won’t be like Legend of the Seeker. You can find it among the responses in the thread “Hope this won’t be like Legend of the Seeker”.
I guess I was less concerned about this adaptation than the LOTS adaptation because for one thing, it was going to be on HBO, which meant it wouldn’t shy away from the blood and sex that are necessary to tell the story. It also meant that they likely wouldn’t be creating a series of stand-alone episodes like LOTS did. HBO is not interested in casual viewers. Most, if not all, of their dramatic series have been so serialized as to almost be novels for television.
The first few casting announcements and the leaked pilot script definitely put my mind further at ease.
But I guess the fact that the producers of this show took it seriously and were huge fans was really what convinced me that we weren’t getting another LOTS. The sort of things they said from the beginning made me feel that their goal was to tell Martin’s story on the small screen, much like Peter Jackson’s goal was to tell Tolkien’s story on the big screen. Jackson made some changes that made purists angry, but they didn’t destroy the story, plus he didn’t have the author himself on board as an executive producer and writer.
Josh ParkerQuote Reply
Sean Bean set to attend the George Best Foundation Charity Gala Night performance of Dancing Shoes — The George Best Story this Saturday at the Baby Grand Opera House
http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/147964303
NymeriaQuote Reply
Nymeria, nice find. Now we need someone to attend the gala, get some face time with Bean, and report back!
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Or just a photo – to check the Neddish look.
The RabbitQuote Reply
Dustin Zerby,
If you are using a Twitter account and don’t want your name shown here you just need to edit your settings on Twitter as the link to here now does not use your Twitter handle it uses whatever you have listed under Settings – Profile – Name
VohdreQuote Reply
Mark Howard,
That’s the nice part about this being on HBO. They can change the amount of episodes on a season by season basis. IIRC The Wire seasons were anywhere from 10-14 episodes depending upon the season. When they get to SoS I’m sure they could just go to more episodes.
VohdreQuote Reply
WhoIsJacopoBelbo?,
Let’s be really honest, Book 1 of the Sword of Truth was awful as well. It’s the only book I’ve ever actually put down without any intent in finishing. I had absolutely no interest in seeing where the story was going, and the quality of the prose is the worst I’ve ever seen in published literature. It’s just dreadfully poor.
For a while my internet sig was “Testament to my fortitude: I made it 83 pages into ‘Wizard’s First Rule’ before I began to bleed profusely from the eyes.”
Ser_GQuote Reply
Vohdre,
I figured it out. Thanks for the info. Not a big deal that people see my name, I just prefer an avatar.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
On a SoT-related note – Brandon Sanderson (co-author of the last Wheel of Time books) just tweeted:
LOL:)
Viktor NorbergQuote Reply
Heh. Line from TofM said: “And Rand did such and such.” Brain keeps reading “Ayn Rand.” Did Goodkind sneak over and rewrite my manuscript?
Wonder how I managed to not get that into the above post?? :P
Viktor NorbergQuote Reply
I demand REAL news!
shadallionQuote Reply
Ser_G,
if i am completely honest i enjoyed the first book. some interesting characters were set up. some interesting premises and some interesting world creation. by a quarter of a way thru the second book i was beginning to suspect i was in for a Terry Brooks Shannara series experience. by the time i got to the book where he basically plagiarized an Ayn Rand novel (and not very well mind you, misunderstanding and perverting much of her philosophical underpinnings) i was ready to hunt Goodkind down and punch him in the throat.
after seeing how poorly done the series was done (ok, so sue me i tuned in to see if they did the sexy S&M vixens in tight red leather who kicked much booty) i felt vindicated that the show was of a pathetic quality equal to the pathetic quality of the book. ashes to ashed, dust to dust and utter rubbish to utter rubbish as they say.
WhoIsJacopoBelbo?Quote Reply
shadallion,
I’m with you…I must be spoiled with all the recent news..now I want something news worthy everyday lol.
Coltaine777Quote Reply
i’m sure somebody will be on it soon, but theres a casting change
http://grrm.livejournal.com/168109.html
WoodwyndQuote Reply
Woodwynd,
Cool, all I had to do was ask for real news, and we got some.
shadallionQuote Reply
Woodwynd,
Hopefully Dotrice will get better soon – and maybe have some other role in the series! But still, better this way than that he would’ve gotten sick only in the middle of shooting.
SnowfellQuote Reply
shadallion,
I kinda wish you hadn’t asked for it :P
burthQuote Reply
Woodwynd,
Sad to see Roy Doltrice leave for the first season, I am sure D&D will find another part for him to fill. I hope and pray he will be back to 100% by the end of the year.
On the recasting front Julian Glover is a great replacement for him and will make an excellent Grand Maester. He has an impressive resume covering decades in stage, film and television. GRRM of course mentioned his roles in Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones, Troy and recently Young Victoria, he will definitely be a recognizable face for the audience.
tysnowQuote Reply
and a casting clue…
http://grrm.livejournal.com/168254.html
WoodwyndQuote Reply
shadallion,
Ya I second that. Shadallion, keep quiet! You’re knocking off the cast! :-P
Kelsey Catherine SchmitzQuote Reply
Woodwynd,
So the sellsword’s gift is Shae and the fat man’s gifts are Irri, Jhiqui and Doreah (“No, no, the other one.” differs them from each other). Four roles to guess!
SnowfellQuote Reply
Snowfell,
Irri, Jhiqui and Doreah were given to Dany by Viserys, yes, but de facto they were paid by Illyrio.
SnowfellQuote Reply
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