Nonso Anozie talks Thrones and the expansion of the Qarth storyline

Rose: I wish that Bran’s storyline were getting that same treatment instead of just being shelved :(

I really hope Bran’s storyline is indeed bigger than we have been led to believe. His chapters are always among my favourite and it is sad to think the overtly fantastic element they offer is being sidelined. I wonder how it will be recaptured.

Still, I’m loving Qarth, and I soooooo cannot wait to see it in all its glory. Nonso was so diplomatic with his shift from “boring” to “introspection”…he looks super! A perfect XXD!

It will interesting to see how they expand this story line. There is one concern I have about adding new content though. With only 10 episodes and an even bigger book to cover than season 1, how do they find room for new content without having to cut excessively from the books content in other areas?

They would have more time for political intrigue by cutting a certain House of the Undying…

Ours is the Fury:
And I love his voice!

Inorite!

He was the voice actor for Iorek in the Northern Lights film adaptation. The best thing about a very disappointing movie.

EvilPicnic: Inorite!

He was the voice actor for Iorek in the Northern Lights film adaptation. The best thing about a very disappointing movie.

Which is complete bollocks: I was misremembering. He wasgoing to play Iorek, and I remember looking him up and thinking his voice would be perfect. And then when I watched it at the cinema and he’d been replaced at the last minute by Ian McKellan.

And I’d just like to point out that the abbreviation XXD looks just like a very happy merchant prince.

X = princely hat

XD = happy face

No spoiler warning Winter? Seriously???

Very interested to see! Xaro should be a much more fascinating character than he’s allowed to be in the book with such a charismatic actor playing him! So, yay.

I kinda disagree with the idea that Dany’s aCoK chapters are “boring.” Yeah there’s a lot of description and introspection in Qarth, but there’s plenty of political machination too. The weird thing about how GRRM tells that stuff, is that most of it is offscreen in Dany’s case. E.g., we hear about her having seen the pureborn after the fact, etc. But the best thing about the TV adaptation is that they can SHOW not TELL the opulent descriptions (and looking at the making of video that’s exactly what they are doing), and instead of us hearing about Dany doing things in her thoughts after they fact they can SHOW her doing them too. Same goes for character interactions like the Jorah/Dany stuff – the actors have demonstrated already that they can show a lot of the undercurrents going on without anyone vocalizing their ~feelings or actually doing anything that doesn’t happen in the books.

So anyway I think they won’t actually change much that happens, it’s just that they’ll make it medium-appropriate.

SO EXCITED.

Nonso seems like a cool cat. Perfect for the character XXD. Now I want to see The Grey!

Poor Jason Momoa! It would be cool if they could make a dream scene with Dany so he could have a brief appearance. But then again that’s not how ASOIAF works(usually )

I was just reading Xaro Xhoan Daxos’ profile on Tower of the Hand, because I really couldn’t remember who he is or what his deal is.

After reading it, it seems like a pretty minor part in the scope of the series. I wonder why HBO/David/Dan decided to beef this character up. I’m sure it has a purpose and sets up the motivations of the major players, all the while giving Dany something to do and someone to talk to.

Any other ideas/predictions?

Hollyoak: Any other ideas/predictions?

I think it’s unanimously agreed about making Dany (and her plot) less boring now that all the sex and violence is out of her life.

What makes you think the Bran storyline is being shelved?

Hollyoak:
I was just reading Xaro Xhoan Daxos’ profile on Tower of the Hand, because I really couldn’t remember who he is or what his deal is.

After reading it, it seems like a pretty minor part in the scope of the series. I wonder why HBO/David/Dan decided to beef this character up. I’m sure it has a purpose and sets up the motivations of the major players, all the while giving Dany something to do and someone to talk to.

Any other ideas/predictions?

Well, he is definitely a minor character in the context of the overall series, but for Dany in aCoK he is pretty much the main person she interacts with in Qarth. So I think the reasoning here is less about beefing up XXD (who will be left behind when Dany moves on next season and not recur for a long long time), and more about (as you rightly suggest) beefing up Dany and giving her more to do. She is pretty much our leading lady after all.

In practice I imagine this will simply mean more showing of events described as having happened in the books, but not witnessed. After how reverently D&D handled the first season I’m not anticipating any major changes.

Rose:
I think it makes sense to expand the Qarth storyline. I liked the one in the book, but about 90% of it happens in Dany’s head. That doesn’t translate well to screen. Everything after Vaes Tolorro is mostly introspection. So I think it’ll be the general general plot, just less passively conveyed.

I wish that Bran’s storyline were getting that same treatment instead of just being shelved :(

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I really really like this actor and I’m super excited to see him in the show. I just really hope they don’t, er, straighten him out. I actually like XXD, I’m fond of that fey backstabber, and I hope they keep the character largely the same, just give him more mystery and arcing.

Wait? They’re shelving Bran’s storyline? You mean like all of it? That stinks….

G_Lee,

This video spoiled something for me; what precious surprises might be in store for me as a book reader. But if I cared more I simply would not come to this or any GoT site to be honest. I don’t believe in leaving the responsibility of being spoiled to someone else’s control.

ТУПЫЕ АМЕРИКАНЦЫ! ДАЖЕ ОТВЕТИТЬ НЕ МОЖЕТЕ! ТУПЫЕ! СЕЙЧАС ПО ВАМ ЯДЕРНОЙ РАКЕТОЙ ДОЛБАНУ ИЛИ ДЕСАНТ МЕДВЕДЕЙ ВЫСАЖУ!!

Kevin:
Sounds cool, I just hope they do the House of the Undying justice.

Why? It barely works in the book; it’s totally disconnected and meaningless; it doesn’t do what the book assumes; to develop Dany into a character of deeper complexity. Instead it gives her a complex.

It’s as if GRRM wrote a short story 25 years earlier and left unfinished, and he asked his personal assistant to paste it into the novel to give Dany something, anything in her storyline.

As a live action scene it’s a money pit and for nothing. Better use that money for The Squirmish of Darkpuddle.

I am becoming more and more curious about the second season.

Intereseting guy this Nonso – I like very much he is on the show.

Interesting comments. I love the idea of beefing up the story there, and adding the intrigue and drama of King’s Landing. Many of Dany’s chapters feel somewhat aimless in ACOK compared to AGOT, and obviously the show writers had to make changes in order to create compelling television.

minor spoilers of ACOK:
In many ways, Dany’s time in Qarth is a courtship process. Many people including Xaro ask for her hand in marriage while she asks for help in re-taking the Iron Throne. We’ll also get another glimpse of Dany’s opposition to slavery and how that hurts her standing among ruling classes

Все ваши базы являются принадлежат нам. Гингрич на 2012 год

* The guy…

Or does he? Do you have some kind of translator on your computer or something, Winter? What language is that guy insulting us in, if you don’t mind me asking?

Julian Walker:
Or does he? Do you have some kind of translator on your computer or something, Winter? What language is that guy insulting us in, if you don’t mind me asking?

It’s Russian… unfortunately. Ignore him, though.

The Rabbit,

Yeah… I’m kind of curious about the Gingrich part though. I understand Russian perfectly but that part is completely unclear, for me at least.

Anyway, I feel guilty for diverting the discussion in this direction, so I’ll try to get it back to normal.

I trust D&D, but I think it would have been better for the show, at least as far as the story is concerned, if Dany’s story line had been expanded with parts from Book 3 than with completely new material. Season 3 will be difficult enough to film as it is.

ralia:
On topic, I’m not sure I want to see Quarth expanded. I hoped Dany’s story will include parts from season 3, instead it’s slowed down with more irrelevant intrigue.

But if they use all the aSoS stuff too early we’ll be stuck with even more irrelevant intrigue in Meereen before we need to be.

ralia:
The Rabbit,
Yeah… I’m kind of curious about the Gingrich part though. I understand Russian perfectly but that part is completely unclear, for me at least.

Considering the poster’s name Google Translates as ‘epic terrible’ I think we can make an educated guess…

ralia:
The Rabbit,

Yeah… I’m kind of curious about the Gingrich part though. I understand Russian perfectly but that part is completely unclear, for me at least.

Anyway, I feel guilty for diverting the discussion in this direction, so I’ll try to get it back to normal.

I trust D&D, but I think it would have been better for the show, at least as far as the story is concerned, if Dany’s story line had been expanded with parts from Book 3 than with completely new material. Season 3 will be difficult enough to film as it is.

He tried to translate “All your base are belong to us” meme. Looks like he also supports Gingrich for 2012 election.

An actor discussing his role as a S2 character, I’d think it would be expected that you would get some new information. Common sense. The “spoiler” was extremely vague, no more spoiling than what you might see in one of the 30-second trailers. If you don’t want to hear even the vaguest spoiler, than don’t watch videos that discuss S2 and have things like “the expansion of the Qarth storyline” in the headline. Just my two cents.

I don’t see the expansion of the Qarth storyline as a change so much as it is a clarification of points made in the books which tended to get lost in all the other things going on in Qarth and elsewhere. The political intrigues in Qarth are there in the books, they are just less evident. What D&D seem to intend is to bring the political intrigues to the forefront, making them as important in Qarth as they are in Westeros, with many people vying for Dany, her inheritance and especially her dragons. It’s all political. It balances things with what is going on in the West.

To avoid confusion they have also likely condensed the roles of the Thirteen and other leaders into the person of Xaro Xhoan Daxos. Having Quaithe and Pyat Pree and then 13 merchant princes might be a bit too much. So the Thirteen becomes the One. We’ll see about Pyat Pree and Quaithe. I expect the same might happen when the plot moves on in future season, especially in the towns in AFFC and ADWD.

As far as changes go, I’m okay with this one. And Nonzo Anozie seems to be a great addition to the cast.

Langkard: To avoid confusion they have also likely condensed the roles of the Thirteen and other leaders into the person of Xaro Xhoan Daxos.

We are also getting a character called The Spice King.

I hope they got rid of Quaithe and all of her annoying prophecies. I don’t want to play Guess What the Vague Symbolism Means. I love the political intrigue and the plot twists of these books, not so much the obvious fan speculation fuel.

Magnum is Epic: We are also getting a character called The Spice King.

From Spice Islands I presume. Or would it be King of Spice Girls? (Yes I went there, and I really am sorry).

Good stuff. I don’t mind them expanding on the Qarth story, but I hope they didn’t completely do away with Vaes Tolorro.

Off topic, but I’m watching Batman Begins on AMC with their little Story Notes. When Jack Gleeson shows up they mention he’s Joffrey on GoT. Nice.

Magnum is Epic: We are also getting a character called The Spice King.

I forgot about that addition. Actually presents a solid body to be the political foe of Xaro Xhoan Daxos instead of just the nebulous Spice Guild of Qarth which never really had a clear representative in the books.

Off-topic, but happy birthday to Miltos :)

What a wonderful person! So bold and frank to call something boring, well, boring. I already love the guy.

I would n’t mind some extended version of the story in Qarth, as somebody already said, there is nothing wrong in giving Dany something more to do while obviously they can’t borrow staff from SoS because there’s not much – at least for the personality that CoK-Dany has.
It’s a great opportunity to set up things for SoS-Dany, develop her character and add some action, the story really needs it over there.

The only bad thing that happens when extending is making room against other story parts. The Reeds and the Tullys, I’m afraid, are the victims of such extensions. These absences make me sad but not so worried because I highly trust that D&D will wrap up the story beautifully.

Great cast addition. Go Nonsie!

Hear Me Roar: Besides, the added scenes in the first season were, as a rule, strongly written, in my opinion.

I agree. As long as it’s something similar (not so much changing things but adding onto things only mentioned in the background and adding to what we already know), I’m fine. I thought the first season was excellent in that regard too. It’s mostly what was left out that irked me.

Excuse me, I ment the dialogue between Jaime and Tywinn…when he was butchering the deer.

Epic knows nothing,

God forbid a show utilize symbolism and foreshadowing. It’s pretentious right?

Elena Amici,

oh, my dear Third World, I´m so proud of you but they don´t understand!
I can´t see it. I have greyscale.

Elena Amici,

it´s the latin blood then. If I remember correctly, in some other thread there is video or comment about this new crazier Cersei.

darquemode,

Thanks a bunch!

Nonso Anozie..love ya, man, but you’ve been up there too long. On my next visit, I need to see:

NEW THREE-MINUTE TRAILER FOR SEASON TWO THIS SUNDAY!!!!

I hope no one sees that in all-caps and for a moment thinks it’s happening!

As they say on Spartacus, “Apologies…”

John,

3 minutes might be a bit much, but I fully expect a full (2 minutes or more) trailer this Sunday. Luck premiere and all.

No…new…post…….in..days…..going…though withdrawl….shaking…..need WIC post……..need to lurk and not post but still appreciate WIC!!!!……..baaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Nonso was good in Conan.

Felix Zschieschow,

I don’t know… she makes some great points from a purist’s point of view.

If I were Linda I would completely divorce myself from any notion of a perfect adaptation. Sometimes the ignorance people like her have regarding how the film/television industry works is mind boggling. It’s an adaptation therefore adjustments will have to be made in order to subscribe the artistic, financial and political facets of the production. D & D are not Peter Jackson making the Lord of the Rings with studio money behind them. They have HBO a paid cable network footing the bill.
That said it is her right to rant but I myself would rather forgo such mental stress and make peace with what we have. My critical eye will fall to the calibre of the writing, directing and acting.