David Benioff and Dan Weiss on heading to Dorne for Season 5, and why it should be the strongest season yet

Game of Thrones Season 4 came to a close mere days ago, which means it’s not to soon to start talking about Season 5. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss talk about where we’re headed in the fifth season, the source material they will be drawing from, and why it should be the strongest season yet.

Benioff and Weiss admit that after finishing a season they start to get nervous about the next. After Season 3 it would seem hard to top the Red Wedding, but their nerves evaporated as they got further into the development of Season 4. They say that they’re experiencing the same feelings now, as they delve deeper into Season 5. “For season 5, again, the fear started to dissipate when we outlined it and realized how much story we had to tell. Now that we’re nearly finished with the first drafts of each episode, we see no reason why the coming season shouldn’t be the strongest yet.”

With some characters on the television adaptation having already reached the end of their so-far published storyline, many are wondering how far the fifth season will extend into the two remaining books, and if the television series will continue to diverge from Martin’s written work.

Benioff and Weiss reveal, “We have talked to George extensively about where he’s going with the books, and will continue to do so. His books are the blueprint for the world we’re building. Ultimately the show needs to work on its own terms, and keep on moving. Our job is to square that necessity with George’s work to the best of our ability.

We’re not going in strict order because we can’t. We can’t adapt Feast and leave out half our characters. We’ll be drawing heavily from Feast and Dance in season 5.”

So what exactly can we expect in Season 5?

For one, Dorne. “There will be Dorne, and we’re excited about it. Who wouldn’t want to hang out in Dorne? They have admirable values and priorities. And have you seen Oberyn’s coat?”

We’ll also find out what Varys’ next move will be, after the bells made for a change in plans. “Early in the season, when speaking with Tyrion, Varys claims to be concerned primarily with self preservation. At the end of the season, though, his actions prove otherwise. He throws away the entire life he’s built for himself in King’s Landing to save Tyrion’s life. Now what? … “Now what?” will become eminently clear in season 5.”

And the fantasy aspect won’t be diminished any time soon. “The dragons aren’t getting any smaller. Melisandre’s still sorceressing, the giants are more pissed than ever, and Jaime’s almost done building his jetpack. So… yeah, the fantasy’s not going away. It is a fantasy show.”

They confirm that 7 seasons is still the plan, and that the end to George’s saga is absolutely, 100 percent satisfying. Now that they have passed the halfway point in their storytelling, they’ve started looking towards that end. Benioff says, “I feel we have so many conversations about later seasons. And this year we’ve started talking about the very end… We want this to work.”

For the full interview visit Entertainment Weekly.

• Published on 06/18/2014 at 2:45 PM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:41 PM CDT