If,If,If and If. can tv show overtake the novels?

[BigFatCoward]

if the pilot is as it should be, gets greenlighted and the first season is a success, and then hbo commit to the full series, what happens if the TV show starts catching up with the books. the first 3 books were knocked out at a not to shabby one every 2 years considering the detail and scope. however 4 and 5 will have taken about 10 years. do we just consider books 4 and 5 an anomolly, or as the series draws to a close is it just getting very complicated to tie up loose ends. assuming that series 1 starts late 2010/early 2011 and one series a year from then on in. it gives 7/8 years to finish the last 3 books. i'd hate to see HBO do a great job with series 1-5 or 1-6 then lose interest due to a time delay finishing the series. i had been hoping to read an interview with GRRM saying 6 and 7 were already mapped out pretty thoroughly, so far been unable to find anything.

[usul]

rather than "it gives 7/8 years to finish the last 3 books", i would say 2 books , i'll be optimistic and hope that dance would be released next year !

[Silverstar]

I have a strong feeling AFFC and ADwD are the two hardest books GRRM has to write, so I'd expect the final two to have much shorter writing periods. He knows exactly what needs to go into those books, whereas AFFC/ADwD were kind of last minute additions.

[The Pita]

ADWD will release sometime next year, IMO. The next books will take 3-4 years each, IMO. Assuming GRRM lives to 68 (not an unheard of task), the show will have to delay filming for a year or two. If it survives that long.

If, if, if indeed.

[Halfhand]

I don't get why everyone is concerned about this.

First off, I believe George has gone on record stating that the abolishing of the five year gap and the subsequent splitting of the 4th book has caused way more problems than he anticipated. The implication is that once he gets past this rough spot, the last couple books should come a bit easier. Assuming he finishes ADwD soon, he would have 3-4 years per book. Which should be plenty of time.

Secondly, HBO is not married to a one season a year format. They have, in the past, had longer delays between seasons, particularly The Sopranos which at one point went close to 2 years between new episodes, I believe. They have also broken up seasons into two parts before, with months in between parts one and two. Entourage did this.

So this will only be an issue IF George struggles mightily to finish the last two books and IF HBO is sticking to a strict one season a year schedule.

And if those things happen, guess what? I will be ecstatic. Why? Because it means that the show is a roaring success. So yeah, I anxiously await the day that the TV production has to wait on George to finish the last book. :D

[BigFatCoward]

Secondly, HBO is not married to a one season a year format. They have, in the past, had longer delays between seasons, particularly The Sopranos which at one point went close to 2 years between new episodes, I believe. They have also broken up seasons into two parts before, with months in between parts one and two. Entourage did this.

So this will only be an issue IF George struggles mightily to finish the last two books and IF HBO is sticking to a strict one season a year schedule.

And if those things happen, guess what? I will be ecstatic. Why? Because it means that the show is a roaring success. So yeah, I anxiously await the day that the TV production has to wait on George to finish the last book. :D

if someone said to me now that we would defo get all 7 seasons i would snap their hands off, no matter over what time scale. i am more concerned with the young actors, if it happens over 10 years, whilst the books will prob cover a total time scale of 3-4 years at my guess i worry about how realistic the actors will look, esp with some of them already being aged significantly during the casting process.

on the other hand, so what if the actors are different ages on screen to the book, as long as it follows the general plot faithfully.

[Halfhand]

I think this was one of the reasons they aged up some of the roles. Jon, Robb and Dany in particular have been aged up to late teens and cast with early 20s actors. This ensures that they won't change much in appearance.

Sansa, Bran and Arya are the ones who will be really affected. Short of recasting, there really is nothing you can do about it though. I guess the one saving grace is that GRRM has mentioned that he wished he could go back and make the kids older to begin with since it will seem strange to have kids so young "saving the realm." So in the TV series, at least, Bran, Sansa and Arya will actually look to be in their late teens, which will be much more believable.

[Silverstar]

Parris said she's got a one-woman lobby going on for ASoS to be split into two seasons, as well. You never know, she might succeed if the show really takes off.

[mhladnik]

Parris said she's got a one-woman lobby going on for ASoS to be split into two seasons, as well. You never know, she might succeed if the show really takes off.

At least they should have is some wiggle room after a successful first seasons to ask for additional episodes order in the subsequent seasons ... say 16 for the longest ones. AGoT is the shortest anyway, so it makes sense.

[Halfhand]

Yeah, two seasons for ASoS might be a bit much (it's not THAT much longer than AGoT). But an extra 2, 3 or even 4 episodes might be helpful when it comes time to adapt that book.

[Padraig]

i am more concerned with the young actors, if it happens over 10 years, whilst the books will prob cover a total time scale of 3-4 years at my guess i worry about how realistic the actors will look, esp with some of them already being aged significantly during the casting process.

We can assume that events will happen over longer periods in the TV series. For instance, aGoT will probably span a year. ACoK will probably span another year etc. And aSoS can span a year too. :P

(Or something similiar. They don't have to be exact).

With practically 5 big books to film right now, I don't think anyone is going to be unduly worried about what happens longterm.

i had been hoping to read an interview with GRRM saying 6 and 7 were already mapped out pretty thoroughly, so far been unable to find anything.

GRRM doesn't map his books out thoroughly. He has said that before with his travelling from NY to San Francisco analogy. He has a rough sketch instead. Although, the problem with aDwD and aFfC is that he had to dump that sketch and start afresh. Hopefully when aDwD is finished, as Silverstar said, things will be clearer again.

[flying mosquito]

I have a strong feeling AFFC and ADwD are the two hardest books GRRM has to write, so I'd expect the final two to have much shorter writing periods. He knows exactly what needs to go into those books, whereas AFFC/ADwD were kind of last minute additions.

I just hope he knows where he is and where he's going. He's now far, far away from the original three-books story!

[Lian]

I just hope he knows where he is and where he's going. He's now far, far away from the original three-books story!

I'm sure he knows where he's going, it's how to get there that's the problem. :)

Also, the story grows in the telling and all kinds of characters unexpectadly appear on the scene and need to be dealt with.

[FilliamHMuffman]

If need be they could split ACOK and ASOS into two seasons, since they're considerably longer than AGOT. Season 2 could end with

SPOILER: A Clash of Kings

Renly's death

and season 4 could end with

SPOILER: A Storm of Swords

the red wedding.

[The Pita]

Disagree. In the meantime, they've shown that they can turn almost 100 pages into an hour of script, even adding a few scenes. They won't have a problem making the second and the third books a season each. They're looking to cut down on seasons, not get more. 7 seasons is a little high already.

[Commodore]

It's been a decade since anything new has been written about Tyrion/John/Bran/Dany, pretty sad really.

What's incredible is that this forum has been able to endure for as long as it has with so little new content.

Here's hoping the other books come easier, and sooner.

[mormont]

It's been a decade since anything new has been written about Tyrion/John/Bran/Dany, pretty sad really.

No, it hasn't. Many, many chapters have been written (and rewritten) about all of these characters in that time: some of them have even been read at cons or put up on GRRM's website.

You may have meant 'since anything new has been published' and you would be correct there, at least in book form (there was a booklet published with early versions of three Dany chapters way back in 2005).

But the likelihood that the series will ever catch up to the books - which is the topic, by the way, I mention this because you didn't - is vanishingly small. Even assuming that the series is picked up (still an assumption and not in any way a certainty), and that the series actually lasts for four seasons (the minimum to catch up on the published work) and that there is one season a year*, that gives GRRM at least until 2014. By that time there is every reason to suppose that at least another two books will have been completed and he will, if all goes to plan, be working on the final book. It might even be out by then.

Anything can happen, of course. GRRM could fall under a bus tomorrow. But so could any of us, and in that case we won't see the series, will we? So why go around borrowing trouble? Right now, there's a pilot being made with a stellar cast, a dedicated and highly skilled production team, a solid script and quality set and prop design. Let's worry about series 5 when it is time to worry about series 5, huh?

*if all of these things come to pass I'll be dancing in the streets like most of you guys. We are a very long way from there though.

[HT Reddy]

I agree. This does all feel a bit like an attempt at premature bridge-crossing; not necessary.

[defter]

i had been hoping to read an interview with GRRM saying 6 and 7 were already mapped out pretty thoroughly, so far been unable to find anything.

wait.... if I understand what your saying right u mean they might make the later easons based on books that havent been written yet? right? if so what if he changes them? also of course all the fans will read the books, but......wontt he *show* be like a spoiler for the books then? cuz im pretty sure grrm wouldnt be happy witht hat. wonder if he signed a contract saying thats what hed do, though....

[HT Reddy]

wait.... if I understand what your saying right u mean they might make the later easons based on books that havent been written yet? right? if so what if he changes them? also of course all the fans will read the books, but......wontt he *show* be like a spoiler for the books then? cuz im pretty sure grrm wouldnt be happy witht hat. wonder if he signed a contract saying thats what hed do, though....

Nah bfc was just trying to reassure himself by saying that GRRM had books 6 and 7 mapped out already; consequently, they won't take as long to write, so there is no danger of the television series overtaking the books. Least I think that's what he was saying - it would probably be better if I wasn't trying to speak for someone else :)