Another writer added to first season

Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune has confirmed that Jane Espenson, writer for such shows as Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica and Buffy, will be penning the script for episode six of the first season of Game of Thrones.

A “Battlestar”-“Buffy”-“Game of Thrones” connection? Be still my nerd heart!

HBO has confirmed that Jane Espenson, a “Caprica” executive producer who has also penned scripts for “Dollhouse,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Buffy” and a host of other cool shows, is one of the writers for the TV adaptation of “Game of Thrones,” which was recently greenlit by HBO. Espenson will write the sixth episode of “Thrones'” first season as a freelancer.

Also writing single episodes of the drama: Bryan Cogman, a script coordinator for the show, who’ll pen the fourth episode of the season, and George R.R. Martin himself. Martin, of course, wrote the book series on which “Game of Thrones” is based and has been closely involved in the project since it was announced. Martin is one of the show’s executive producer and a former writer for TV show such as “Beauty and the Beast” and “Twilight Zone.”

The rest of the 10-episode first season of “Game of Thrones” will be written by David Benioff and Chicago’s own D.B. Weiss, the team who scripted the pilot and have overseen the television adaptation from its inception.

Winter Is Coming: This is great news. While I’m not too familiar with Ms. Espenson’s work, adding another writer is always a plus. Especially one with her credentials. It also may help to bring in some fans of those shows she has worked on previously. It sounds like the writing staff is complete, with the only question mark being which episode GRRM himself plans on writing.

• Published on 03/16/2010 at 4:56 PM CDT
• Last updated on 03/16/2010 at 4:59 PM CDT