Benioff and Weiss on eight seasons and adaptation
In a new interview with Deadline, Game of Thrones executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss discuss the benefits and the perils of adapting a popular book series, what they’re proud of, and the difficulty of killing characters brought to life onscreen.
It was in an interview with Deadline that Benioff and Weiss first referred to the show with the infamous description of “The Sopranos meets Middle Earth,” something that Weiss says now makes him “cringe,” in the new article.
The most interesting tidbit however is this quote from David Benioff near the end of the piece:
And for us what is most enticing about this series is, if we’re lucky enough to get to the end, there will be 80 hours of screen time with a beginning, middle, and a real end. Not something that feels like 80 separate episodes…
Benioff’s estimate of eighty hours implies he is looking at eight seasons of Game of Thrones, whereas producer Frank Doelger had previously referred to seven seasons as a possibility.
Benioff and Weiss chat as well about something that is often debated by fans- George R.R. Martin’s involvement in the process. Benioff states that they have a “really good relationship” with George, and that they’ve “definitely had disagreements; every season we have disagreements about certain things.” Weiss cites the need to “limit the number of new faces we see on the screen and [Martin] talking about the ‘butterfly effect’ that runs through the whole story” as the primary sources of disagreement between them.
And something that will surprise no one who listened to George’s “Blackwater” DVD commentary: Weiss also tells Deadline:
It drives him nuts that characters are fighting without wearing their helmets.
Ours is the Fury: Seriously, listen to the DVD commentary. He really can’t let go of the helmet thing. Also, that they’re not dead set on seven seasons makes me happy. I’m sure the number is in flux at the moment, and eight may not be a final total, but seven does seem like it may be cutting it short. I recommend reading the entire interview as it’s very in-depth and quite interesting.
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