Writers talk character cuts and season two storyline

David Benioff and Dan Weiss, writers and producers of Game of Thrones, were interviewed recently on a Sirius Radio show called What’s Worth Watching hosted by Jon Hein and Jenny Hutt. In the interview they talk mostly about the usual stuff (the child actors are great, George’s story is brilliant, etc.) although they do drop a few new interesting tidbits (Jack Gleeson smokes a pipe!). But there are two exchanges that I think were particularly interesting for devoted fans of the series. One has to do with character cuts and one has to do with the season two storyline.

First off, when Jon (who has read the books) asks which characters they wish they could have kept in this first season, David & Dan’s answer is vague but potentially revealing. Here is the transcript:

Jon: Are there any characters from the first book that you wish you could’ve got into this series that didn’t make the cut?

Dan: We were so aware of the kind of choices we’d have to make, we knew we’d have to condense and cut and what-have-you, so I feel like from the beginning, one of our main jobs was to focus in on who we loved and who we didn’t think we could do without, so I feel like we got most of the ones we really, really…

David: And I know Jon you’re a Blackfish fan, so I apologize. But the truth is there are so many new characters coming in, so that could be confusing. Many more than characters who die in the first season. And that keeps happening, each season there are new characters coming in, and at a certain point you have to be careful because, a.) there is a budget, and b.) we have about 540 minutes to tell the entire story each season. And you can only go back and forth between so many characters before it all starts to feel so diffused that you lose track of what’s going on and you lose touch with the central characters.

Jenny: But next season a lot is going to happen with Bran and Rickon…

David: Oh yeah. All of the characters that you know from the first season are back in a major way it’s just there are some new characters as well. That’s what I’m saying, I guess, we need to make sure we have enough time to tell all these stories properly and that does mean there are certain stories that we’re just not gonna touch on, certain minor plotlines or minor characters we just don’t have time to give proper weight to. We’d rather not throw them in there for a 30 second cameo as opposed to spending more time with our central characters.

What do you think? Is Benioff talking about the Blackfish there? And is he talking about the whole series or just referring to the first season?

The other interesting answer, and speculation on what it may mean for the season two storyline, after the break. Beware as this speculation will contain spoilers from book three of the series. You’ve been warned!

As they are wrapping up their interview, Benioff makes an interesting comment about one of the themes of season two:

Jon: Season two, you hard at work on it now? What can people expect?

Dan: In Belfast, typing away, prepping away, designing away, building away…

David: Dragons, direwolves…

Dan: …and not sleeping away.

David: Jenny, you’re gonna be happy, season two is the season of the love story.

Hmmm… The only love story I can think of in book two is one that happens offscreen. Confirmation of a Jeyne-Robb romance in season two? What do you think?

• Published on 06/30/2011 at 3:34 PM CDT
• Last updated on 07/01/2011 at 8:22 AM CDT