Season 5 Casting, News and Speculation V 5

[igrewupinKL]

I think we'll see the start of the battle of winterfell, maybe up to the point where Stannis goes through the first and second forces (whoever that is), getting up to Winterfell's walls itself

then jon will get pink letter at end of episode 9

next episode we will see the resolution of the battle of winterfell.

I was excited to see the battle of Mereen on TV, i think it would be an amazing sequence, combining ships, soldiers and possible dragon aerial battle. I can see now why they'd cut it, its kind've disappointing to deprive us of it even though budget would be ridiculous.

[+cassius]

What is all this talk about Stannis. No show watcher cares. Back to Dany please :)

YIKESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[HexMachina]

I think in the books, the Battle of Meereen will be the "bigger" battle (Winds spoilers)

There seem to be a lot of chapters devoted to it already, and they dont even complete it

and the Battle of Ice will be either a lot smaller or be like the Fist of the First Men and happen off page (probably the former, since I think there will be certain things we need to see first hand). I think in the show it will be the other way around though

[Fjordgazer]

What is all this talk about Stannis. No show watcher cares. Back to Dany please :)

How fine and dandy the Dany fans have it, you know, as opposed to Arianne or Greyjoy fans <_<

[AdmiralKyrd]

The Battle of Ice is not like the others. Show!Blackwater had characters on both sides we followed (Bold Highlights Book POV):

1. Tyrion/Joff/Sandor

2. Cersei/Sansa

3. Davos (Opfor)

4. Stannis (Opfor)

Show!Castle Black had the same thing:

1. Jon

2. Sam/Pyp

3. Gilly/Slynt

4. Grenn

5. Thorne

6. Edd

7. Tormund/Ygritte (Opfor)

Book!Battle of Meereen has the following POVs:

1. Barristan

2. Tryion (Opfor->Blufor)

3. Victarion (Third Faction)

The only faction missing a POV during the battle is the Volantene/Yunkish fleet. Vic is almost surely cut so you've got Tyrion/Barristan/Grey Worm/Daario/Jorah/Missandei to do something with - and given what we can gather from the shooting so far, all are probably going to be on the same side when/if the battle breaks out. This really simplifies things. The fighters ride out and destroy some trebuchets. The dragons fly in and start roasting some Yunkai as they run away.

And the Battle of Ice?

1. Asha/Theon (Prisoners)

There's no viewpoint from the opposing force. There isn't even a fighter as a POV character. Ramsay/Roose probably can't be with the Freys/Manderlys, even in the show version, because then it would create problems with the second action of the battle when they sneak into Winterfell, thus, The Battle of Ice doesn't need a full episode treatment. It is basically this:

Stannis prepares for Battle, does things with Theon (and Yara). Scouts report the enemy is attacking. The Freys are spotted in the distance. They go beeeeyaaaaaah, and charge. The Frey's fall into the Lake. Stannis' troops are all like, Yaaaaaarrr, and swing around the sides and attack them. The Manderlies ride in the from rear and start attacking the Freys. Everyone is like, heyaaaa, and the battle is over.

The whole group of scenes could be ten minutes or so. We don't have to follow characters on one side with a build-up. There aren't any warrior characters who get action scenes - its just a bunch of people running and riding and falling. It doesn't need a whole episode.

[PrinceOfWesteros]

One thong I don't understand cause I read ADWD months ago, is why you keep talking about BoW as if it has already happened in the books. I can't remember any Battle sequence toward the end of stannos POV. Am i missing something? I thought the pink letter was just a lie and that stannos and bolton hadn't fought yet at all.

Anyway if I have to choose I prefer they condense or do the BOW half off screen and than have a full budget Battle of meereen in season 6 even though the naval part is cut.

[AdmiralKyrd]

One thong I don't understand cause I read ADWD months ago, is why you keep talking about BoW as if it has already happened in the books. I can't remember any Battle sequence toward the end of stannos POV. Am i missing something? I thought the pink letter was just a lie and that stannos and bolton hadn't fought yet at all.

Because the chapters don't come in chronological order (Jon's "For the Watch" Chapter in ADWD comes after the BoW in TWoW). As to the battle, there is enough foreshadowing in the end chapters of ADWD and Theon's preview chapter in TWoW to piece the plot together.

Here:

http://bryndenbfish.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/a-complete-analysis-of-the-upcoming-siege-of-winterfell-part-1/

http://bryndenbfish.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/a-complete-analysis-of-the-upcoming-siege-of-winterfell-part-2/

[Konradsmith]

As I understand it the Battle of Ice/Winter has been finished by the end of ADWD but the beginning of TWOW takes place before that. None of this confusion would have exist of course if the battle was in ADWD where it belongs...

[titanx5]

What is all this talk about Stannis. No show watcher cares. Back to Dany please :)

Thats definitely going to change next season, plus some viewers are starting to get bored of Dany's storyline already

The Battle of Ice is not like the others. Show!Blackwater had characters on both sides we followed (Bold Highlights Book POV):

1. Tyrion/Joff/Sandor

2. Cersei/Sansa

3. Davos (Opfor)

4. Stannis (Opfor)

Show!Castle Black had the same thing:

1. Jon

2. Sam/Pyp

3. Gilly/Slynt

4. Grenn

5. Thorne

6. Edd

7. Tormund/Ygritte (Opfor)

Book!Battle of Meereen has the following POVs:

1. Barristan

2. Tryion (Opfor->Blufor)

3. Victarion (Third Faction)

The only faction missing a POV during the battle is the Volantene/Yunkish fleet. Vic is almost surely cut so you've got Tyrion/Barristan/Grey Worm/Daario/Jorah/Missandei to do something with - and given what we can gather from the shooting so far, all are probably going to be on the same side when/if the battle breaks out. This really simplifies things. The fighters ride out and destroy some trebuchets. The dragons fly in and start roasting some Yunkai as they run away.

And the Battle of Ice?

1. Asha/Theon (Prisoners)

There's no viewpoint from the opposing force. There isn't even a fighter as a POV character. Ramsay/Roose probably can't be with the Freys/Manderlys, even in the show version, because then it would create problems with the second action of the battle when they sneak into Winterfell, thus, The Battle of Ice doesn't need a full episode treatment. It is basically this:

Stannis prepares for Battle, does things with Theon (and Yara). Scouts report the enemy is attacking. The Freys are spotted in the distance. They go beeeeyaaaaaah, and charge. The Frey's fall into the Lake. Stannis' troops are all like, Yaaaaaarrr, and swing around the sides and attack them. The Manderlies ride in the from rear and start attacking the Freys. Everyone is like, heyaaaa, and the battle is over.

The whole group of scenes could be ten minutes or so. We don't have to follow characters on one side with a build-up. There aren't any warrior characters who get action scenes - its just a bunch of people running and riding and falling. It doesn't need a whole episode.

Stannis doesnt have a POV, nor does the Boltons yet we get it in the show. The Battle of Ice is easier to portray on TV than the Battle of Slavers Bay, plus you actually have a side that people really hate and a side you want to win, with snow falling, ice breaking. Plus the Battle of Ice is linked to Jon's fate, and therefore needs to happen. Also could bring a lot of drama.Whats not to like?

The only part of Battle of Slavers Bay that people will care about is Tyrion, Dany, Jorah. Plus there is no real villain compared to the Boltons there. I would rather show the chaos there in s6, and let Dany have the final scene flying Drogo which would be the best way to finish the season

[PrinceOfWesteros]

Oh that's it! Than I suppose that 'off screen' the main part of the Battle would be the right choice For budget reasons, if they put the Battle in season 5! I'll go back and read TWOW theon chapter immediatly.

[AdmiralKyrd]

Stannis doesnt have a POV, nor does the Boltons yet we get it in the show. The Battle of Ice is easier to portray on TV than the Battle of Slavers Bay, plus you actually have a side that people really hate and a side you want to win, with snow falling, ice breaking. Plus the Battle of Ice is linked to Jon's fate, and therefore needs to happen. Also could bring a lot of drama.Whats not to like?

The Battle as it is in the books (likely) comes in two parts. Ramsay/Roose aren't there for the first part. If they want to portray it like it is in the books, then they would probably put the first action in S5 and save the second for S6:

S5E9: Battle of Winterfell (Part 1) - Involving Stannis, SomeStannisDude(DavosLite), AnUmber?, Yara, Theon, SomeManderlyLeader, RandomFreyDouche

S5E10: The "Freys"/Manderlys return to Winterfell, and the Pink Letter is sent. Jon receives the PL at the Wall in the Final Scene

S6E1: Battle of Winterfell (Part 2) - Involving DavosLite, Stannis, SomeManderlyLdr, An Umber?, Ramsay, Roose, ?HoodedMan?

[stannisismyking]

I thinks its going to be a little more difficult getting news from NI, than compared to the other places. Ive got a feeling that the Battle of Ice is mainly going to be filmed in studio, cant have real cracking ice. Im optimistic we will get more of Stannis, Davos, Jon, Theon, Yara, etc. Just begging for some news if we will get Euron

I was in Northern Ireland last Friday and Saturday and while I got around to a few different locations from the past couple of seasons, I think it's much easier for them to keep wraps on current stuff, apart from the odd "oh look there's Jorah and Tyrion on a boat on a lake" thing or "there's the Wall set in the distance".

And actually it was only when I got back home that I realised the Wall set wasn't too far from where I was, but then I wasn't driving so I wasn't in a position to go all over the place.

I don't think any of the actors were in town anyway (well I checked Carice's Twitter and if she's not around I know it's likely my faves are not around!)

[PrinceOfWesteros]

They didn't split the Battle of the wall, I don't think they are going to do this for BoW either.

From what we know so far we Will get:

- 2/3 big dragon scenes including the pit

- stonemen scene

- WW scene

- giants featuring scene

- all the green screens

And so on. We are approaching the moment in which the tv limits and the plot clash.

[+cassius]

As I understand it the Battle of Ice/Winter has been finished by the end of ADWD but the beginning of TWOW takes place before that. None of this confusion would have exist of course if the battle was in ADWD where it belongs...

Do you think we will get the battle in season 5 ?

[AdmiralKyrd]

I don't think any of the actors were in town anyway (well I checked Carice's Twitter and if she's not around I know it's likely my faves are not around!)

They use two filming crews for GoT called the Wolf Unit for close up scenes, shots, (like Jaime, Doran - where they have been), and the Dragon Unit for more wide, spaced shots, (like the Roose legitimizing Ramsay scene). It's possible they're using both of these crews in Spain right now for Dorne (Wolf) / Meereen (Dragon). Meaning they wouldn't have cameras to film in NI yet, hence set preparation, and such.

And so on. We are approaching the moment in which the tv limits and the plot clash.

That's just the thing, it depends on how much they want to push into TWoW, and maintain ADWD mysteries as cliffhangers between seasons.

The Battle at Castle Black is a bit different, because it doesn't have a Pink Letter scene elsewhere to deal with. It's much easier to compress the BoCB into a single episode cuz it doesn't have anything except dead time between the attacks. The BoW has to deal with having the greatest cliffhanger in ASOIAF take place during the engagements.

They could do the Pink Letter as if the audience overtly knows who the author is, but Jon does not, and they could conclude BoW if they wanted. It would be cheaper to do the whole BoW in one season, but it would be better suspenseful TV to split the second portion into next season and keep the PL author a mystery.

There is no right and wrong answer, it just depends on what D&D want to do. I don't think they're going to go out of chronological order like the books do it, which means:

Option 1: Half BoW, PL Mystery - S6 Half BoW

Option 2: Full BoW, PL w/o Mystery

Option 3: Nothing - S6 BoW & PL

Option 4: S5E9, Half BoW, PL Mystery - S5E10, Half BoW, JonIsAlive!

[Dany4eva]

How fine and dandy the Dany fans have it, you know, as opposed to Arianne or Greyjoy fans <_<

I liked Arianne and Victorian. Pity they are cut

[PrinceOfWesteros]

Well considering that ep 9 is known to be a multiple storyline episode.. You have your answer. Unless they just glimpse the first Battle, than the pink letter and For the watch and the the Second part in season six. Bit there's the Battle of meereen and the problem is still there.

[stannisismyking]

They use two filming crews for GoT called the Wolf Unit for close up scenes, shots, (like Jaime, Doran - where they have been), and the Dragon Unit for more wide, spaced shots, (like the Roose legitimizing Ramsay scene). It's possible they're using both of these crews in Spain right now for Dorne (Wolf) / Meereen (Dragon). Meaning they wouldn't have cameras to film in NI yet, hence set preparation, and such.

Yeah there's a lot happening in Spain right now. And it's not as if they need the sunshine for the Northern scenes. IT'S GRIM UP NORTH.

(It's also grim down South most of the time :crying: )

[+cassius]

When is it likely for us to find out if BoI is going to be included in S5 ?

[PrinceOfWesteros]

In the first trailer i suppose. It's hard to imagine spoiler from the troup like For watchers on the wall.