Read the script for the Game of Thrones Pilot that never was

It’s hard to believe that the original pilot for Game of Thrones was filmed way back in 2009. That pilot was heavily rewritten and reshot before the actual pilot episode, “Winter is Coming,” kicked the series off in 2011. That original pilot, together with its script, is likely lost to time (although a few photos remain), but a script for something much closer to what ended up on TV survives, and there still some intriguing differences between in and “Winter is Coming.” Let’s look at some.

The original pilot episode script hews much closer to the books, as opposed to made it to television. One thing that stands out is that in the original script, we get a much longer and up close look at the White Walkers/Others. Maybe Benioff and Weiss didn’t feel that the audience was ready for ice zombies…just yet, so all we got in the finished product was a glimpse of something scary.

"He’s staring into the darkness at the edge of the clearing. Ser Waymar turns to see what the young tracker sees: a shadow emerging from the forest. A figure steps into the moonlight, tall and gaunt, with flesh pale as milk. It slides toward the rangers on silent feet. Its armor appears to be carved from ice. Its sword is translucent, a shard of crystal so thin it almost seems to vanish when seen edge-on. Ser Waymar’s voice cracks like a boy’s: SER WAYMAR Stay where you are! The OTHER keeps coming. Ser Waymar draws his sword with trembling hands. Will, standing near the fire pit, and Gared, still on horseback, draw their own swords. The Other halts. For the first time we see its eyes, bluer than any human eyes, a blue that burns like ice. They emerge silently from the shadows, on all sides of the clearing. Five of them… six… seven… their strange swords shimmering in the moonlight. Gared can no longer control his panicked horse; it bolts from the clearing, ignoring its rider’s commands. The Others watch Gared flee. They turn back to Ser Waymar and Will and begin to advance on the young men. As the circle closes, the Others speak to each other in a language we’ve never heard, with voices like cracking ice. Waymar and Will stand together, class distinctions forgotten, two boys about to die. They steady their sword hands and mutter quick prayers as the Others descend upon them. CREDIT SEQUENCE"

I don’t know about you, but I greatly prefer this version to what actually made it on screen in “Winter is Coming.” The part where the Others (and note that they hadn’t made the switch to “White Walkers” yet) begin to speak to each other in their own language is something that grabbed hold of my imagination when I first read that passage in A Game of Thrones, and I was more than a little let-down that it didn’t make it to the finished film.

Now comes the iconic Game of Thrones intro, right? Nope, this is vastly different as well, and I don’t care for this version:

"A pair of ancient, gnarled hands writing a message on a small parchment scroll. The old man (we never see his face) tightly rolls the scroll, binds it with a black ribbon, and ties it with a leather strip to the leg of a BLACK RAVEN. The old man lifts the raven off his desk; it flaps its dark wings and flies out of the open chamber window. The raven flies away from Castle Black, a large and ancient fortress dwarfed by what lies behind it: the Wall. Older than history, this is the 800-foot-high barrier of ice and stone that guards the northern edge of the Seven Kingdoms. As the raven gains altitude, the landscape below it TRANSFORMS into a map of Westeros. The Wall is revealed to cross the entire continent, a boundary between the Haunted Forest to the north and the civilized lands to the south. The raven flies south over the map, on which the cities, regions and features of the land are named: Winterfell, the Kingsroad, Moat Cailin, the Riverlands, the Vale of Arryn. Occasionally the bird dips down, and the map resolves back into reality for just long enough to give us a view of some points of interest: Winterfell’s old stone towers, full of cold beauty. The foreboding Eyrie castle high atop the Vale of Arryn, a feat of montane architecture that would have been impossible for medieval engineers. When the raven reaches King’s Landing, the map resolves back into reality as the bird drops down into the dirty sprawl of the capital. The raven flies through the open gates of the Red Keep, a massive compound with red walls the color of blood. The bird flies through an open window into the throne room, to land on the Iron Throne itself– a throne built from the hammered swords of a thousand defeated enemies. The raven pecks at its wings, cleaning itself after the long journey, alone in the empty throne room."

Obviously, this is meant to be a Maester sending a raven out across the realm, which then flies to each of the great and noble Houses from Season 1. A neat idea to be sure, but I’m glad HBO went with the astrolabe.

Next, we have the introduction of House Stark. Ned and his sons ride out to execute the deserter from the Night’s Watch, but unlike in “Winter is Coming,” it’s Gared who is going to be beheaded (not Will). There is also no scene with Bran practicing archery in the yard (with an unwelcome assist by Arya) while Sansa practices needlework. I guess this is where the original pilot fails, as it does not show the familial love that is so prevalent among the Starks.

"Ned walks to the stump. He speaks in low tones to Gared, who responds. We watch this exchange from the boys’ perspective. Gared’s final words clearly trouble Ned, who studies the condemned man’s face, judging his honesty. Bran watches from afar, his head slightly cocked, trying to make out what Gared is saying. There is a great weariness in Ned’s eyes as he places both hands on the hilt of his greatsword. NED: “In the name of Robert of the House Baratheon, the First of his Name…”"

Theon Greyjoy, in this script, is much more of a jackass than he is in the finished version. In the original script, he is constantly stirring the pot with his characteristic wry contempt, and is very unlikeable. Perhaps Benioff and Weiss realized this after the first showing to the test audience, and Theon was softened up just a bit. Of course, he still betrayed Robb, killed two innocent boys and burned Winterfell, but hey, he got his dick cut off, so I think he’s paid for it.

Dany, originally played by Tamzin Merchant, was introduced much earlier in the original script. In fact, she wasn’t the only character to be replaced by another actor. Ian McNeice portrayed Illyrio Mopatis in the original pilot episode, and fits my mental image of the cheesemonger perfectly. Jennifer Ehle played the role of Catelyn Stark but was replaced by Michelle Fairley, Richard Ridings played Gared before getting booted in favor of Dermot Keaney, and Jamie Campbell Bower played the arrogant Ser Waymar Royce, but was replaced by Rob Ostlere. This is particularly ironic, since Bower went on to play King Arthur in Starz’s Camelot, which directly competed with Game of Thrones but was defeated, because of course it was.

Illyrio as he should have been

There are some other minor points from the unaired original script to hit upon:

• Cersei, not Jaime, talks to Grand Maester Pycelle in King’s Landing while the Silent Sisters prepare Jon Arryn’s body.
• The brothel scene where Jaime interrupts Tyrion’s lecherous fun actually happens in King’s Landing and not the small town outside of Winterfell.
• Less Starks, more King’s Landing. Sorry ladies: no scene where Robb, Jon, and Theon wash up for the King’s visit. Also no scene of Catelyn busying herself about Winterfell.
• We spend way more time in Winterfell’s crypts, and Robert declares his bro-love for Ned.
• Tyrion actually gets to pet Ghost, which should have been kept in.
• Jon and Benjen share a much longer scene.
• Cat tells Ned he must go to King’s Landing instead of saying “I won’t let him take you.”
• GRRM played a Pentoshi nobleman in a large and silly hat, but was cut before the episode went to air.

The King’s feast at Winterfell is vastly different. First of all, Sansa is not brought before the queen to talk about dress-making and embroidery, and both Jaime and Cersei carry on conversations with Catelyn on the dais. There is also no scene where Ned and Benjen discuss the Night’s Watch deserter and the possible reemergence of the White Walkers. And then a scene unfolds where Jaime taunts Ned over the deaths of his father and brother at the hands of the Mad King. There’s a much longer back and forth than in the finished product, although parts of it showed up in a later episode:

"As Ned passes behind Jaime’s seat, Jaime pushes his chair back, momentarily blocking Ned’s path. Jaime stands. JAIME Excuse my clumsiness. He smiles down at Ned. Jaime is taller and broader in the shoulders. They are considered two of the greatest warriors in the Seven Kingdoms, and there can be little doubt that right now each man wonders who would win a fight. NED “Not a trait most people associate with you. Your pardon”– He moves to step around Jaime, but Jaime puts his hand on Ned’s shoulder.JAIME “I hear we might be neighbors soon. I hope it’s true.” Ned would rather talk to any living man than this one.NED “Yes, the King has honored me with his offer.” Again he tries to pass, and again Jaime sidesteps to block him. Jaime smiles but his actions are just shy of aggression.JAIME “The King has promised a tournament to celebrate your new title… if you accept. It would be good to have you on the field. The competition has become a bit stale.”NED “I don’t fight in tournaments.”JAIME “No? Getting a little old for it?” Ned is tired of trying to get around Jaime. He stands very close to the younger man and looks him dead in the eye.NED “I don’t fight in tournaments because if I ever have to fight a man for real, I don’t want him to know what I can do.” The comment pleases Jaime immensely, judging from his smile. JAIME “Well said, well said! I do hope you take the King’s offer.” Though of course, we all know the court hasn’t been kind to Stark men. Ned stiffens at the comment. Nobody wears swords at the banquet but his hand reflexively grips for the absent hilt.JAIME “Your father and brother. Yes, I was a witness to that… tragedy.”NED “I know you were.”JAIME “I suppose it’s some consolation that justice finally came to their killer. No need to thank me– oh, I’m sorry, you never did.”NED “Was it justice you were thinking of when you shoved your spear in the Mad King’s back?”JAIME “It was his kidneys I was thinking of. His liver and spleen. Was that terrible of me? After all the suffering the man caused?” Ned has had enough. He pushes past Jaime. This time the Kingslayer lets him go, but not before one final remark. For an instant Jaime’s air of perpetual amusement evaporates.JAIME “The worst king in a thousand years… and people treat me like some back-alley cutthroat.” But Ned is already gone, heading down the raised platform. Jaime stands alone. The only one at the banquet table who has overheard the Jaime/Ned conversation is Tyrion, who grins at his brother and raises his tankard in toast. TYRION “If it came down to it, big brother, I’d bet on you– but I wouldn’t bet much.” He downs his tankard of ale with a single, heroic gulp and wipes the foam from his mouth, pleased with himself…A second later it hits him: he’s one tankard over the line. Tyrion stands and staggers away from the royal table without a goodbye. Jaime retakes his seat beside his sister, who watches Tyrion stumble down the steps to the main floor.CERSEI He is a vile little beast. JAIME “He plays the hand he was dealt.” His gaze floats over Cersei’s shoulder, to Robert. JAIME “As do we all.”"

Oh man, had that been kept in the final copy, I would have been a happy fan. This is exactly the type of interaction one craves when the upjumped House Lannister crosses paths with the old and noble House Stark. Also, it not only demonstrates Tyrion’s legendary wit and wisdom, but it allows Jaime to get in shots at his sister as well as at Ned. It also shows Jaime as the flawed hero that he eventually becomes.

In the end, the best product obviously made it to the small screen, and there is no arguing with the success of Game of Thrones. However, I would pay a pretty penny to watch that unaired pilot, and it just may become my great white whale, and I its Ahab.

UPDATE:

We received a tweet from WiC founder Phil Bicking with a link to a piece he wrote seven years ago reviewing the pilot script.

Awesome, and here’s the link to Winter Is Coming’s exclusive pilot script review! Thanks for the tweet, Phil. It’s nice to hear from the Maker every once in awhile.

Next: The Small Council: What was the worst part of Game of Thrones Season 5?