Game of Thrones Gets 2 Year Renewal

[scotcat]

Great news!

I'd been expecting - as had we all - that a season 5 renewal announcement would be imminent, but getting a double renewal was a pleasant surprise. It's looking good for the show completing the 7 year plan of the creators.

[DurararaFTW]

Season 5 is gonna be pretty difficult. So and so are dead, so and so have left KL. They cant use the interactions at KL as a crutch as much after this season. And Bran'll have run out of material completely. So will Sansa in S6.

[Calibandar]

I would almost bet money right now on 8 seasons. At the very least season 7 being split in two.

Benioff confirmed last week that 7 seasons is still the plan. He's gone on record with that info a couple of times now.

So has Lombardi, head of HBO programming.

So I guess the only way for them to extend it beyond 7, which would be very difficult because all the contracts would need to be renegotiated, is if they change their mind about the current 7 seasons plan, sometime next year or so.

[Bale_The_Ranger]

such good news for a newbie like me haha! gives me time to catch up with everyone else! (im watching 3 epsiodes a night atm)

[Rhaegar's Second Son]

Do you think this was a move by HBO higher ups to pressure GRRM into finishing WoW? I mean HBO has NEVER done this albiet there has never been a show like GoT. It just seems like this was a move to make GRRM produce. I think we all know Dan, Daivd, and George included that you can't get two seasons worth of material outta FFC and DWD. Like they gave him a dead line. GRRM even said on his blog that he was surprised that it was renewed for 2 seasons. Just thinking aloud here.

[MarieAntoinette]

Good news. I'm excited for the upcoming seasons. :)

[boojam]

Benioff confirmed last week that 7 seasons is still the plan. He's gone on record with that info a couple of times now.

So has Lombardi, head of HBO programming.

So I guess the only way for them to extend it beyond 7, which would be very difficult because all the contracts would need to be renegotiated, is if they change their mind about the current 7 seasons plan, sometime next year or so.

I never saw anywhere that Lombardi it was dead set at 7.

Even Dave and Dan on the Red carpet for the premier of season 4 sent mixed signals.

David Benioff said seven but then Dan Weiss said quickly "We are at the halfway point."

Then David quickly agreed 'half way', which numerically would mean 8.

Seems Benioff has said 7 several times, and my hunch is that 7 is the number.

However it does not seem set in concrete, unless season 6 goes in the dumper.

[boojam]

Season 5 is gonna be pretty difficult. So and so are dead, so and so have left KL. They cant use the interactions at KL as a crutch as much after this season. And Bran'll have run out of material completely. So will Sansa in S6.

Even George , in novel 4 has Jamie leave KL, Tryion is already gone, Varys and LF are gone. Sansa is gone.

Everybody is somewhere else than KL!

Cersei is the major Lannister left. A whole raft of secondary characters are around , which is why I think Dave and Dan brought Margaery to the fore as a much stronger character. That only leaves the cat-fight at KL. I find the whole High Sparrow story boring, and what will that amount to even if they do it?

In Feast and Dance , to me, only Arya, Tryion's and Jon's stories of the main characters left seem to have some meat on them that can be harvested for drama. I don't know what the heck they are going to do about the Greyjoys, there is a lot a material there thats wild enough it does not need a lot of rework, even Asha and Theon's stories. Sanas's story at the Eyrie is going somewhere ,that might be interesting, that one is kind of a puzzle.

Big doings could happen at Meereen if Dave and Dan restructure George's meanderings, in fact the set piece of season 5 could the breaking of the siege of Meereen, tho my guess is S5E9 will be Daznak's Pit. Where to put the break of the siege of Meereen is a mystery, S6E9 would seems too late, but they may fit that in early S6.

I don't know where the dust up at Winterfell fits, if it takes place.

A ton of stuff to take care of at the Wall.

The Dorne story and the Sand Snakes is still in the making, in the books.

Of course the Ragnarök with the Great Other, is that in WoW or DoS?

What I am getting at here is that , show wise, after four seasons, KL except for one story, is not where anything much interesting is happening.

Which is ok with me.

[Which Tyler]

Benioff confirmed last week that 7 seasons is still the plan. He's gone on record with that info a couple of times now.

So has Lombardi, head of HBO programming.

So I guess the only way for them to extend it beyond 7, which would be very difficult because all the contracts would need to be renegotiated, is if they change their mind about the current 7 seasons plan, sometime next year or so.

My thinking is that this announcement for 2 seasons (am I right in thinking that's unique for TV?) puts an end to the 7 seasons only plan.

The issues for books 4&5 have always been that there's too much material for 1 season (excepting the odd disillusioned reader who thinks they're 70% filler, 30% story, rather than 20% filler, 80% story of reality); whilst there's no satisfying stop off to split over 2 seasons, and possibly running a little short on story for 20 episodes.

I feel this announcement, made in advance, is a green-light to spread the 2 books over 2 seasons, probably with at least 1, probably both of the major battles put back into Act II where they belong. They can be written as one, possibly even shot as one, with the security that they're not going to get the rug pulled out from under their feet.

Yes, it means going beyond 7 seasons; which in turn means renegotiating contracts; go to an 8th season, and the only contracts they need to renegotiate are characters still surviving from S1; go to 9 seasons, and you bring in S2's actors as well.

This being GOT; how many actors actually is that, that will appear in both S1 AND S8, or even S2 AND S9?

[DurararaFTW]

Even George , in novel 4 has Jamie leave KL, Tryion is already gone, Varys and LF are gone. Sansa is gone.

Everybody is somewhere else than KL!

Cersei is the major Lannister left. A whole raft of secondary characters are around , which is why I think Dave and Dan brought Margaery to the fore as a much stronger character. That only leaves the cat-fight at KL. I find the whole High Sparrow story boring, and what will that amount to even if they do it?

In Feast and Dance , to me, only Arya, Tryion's and Jon's stories of the main characters left seem to have some meat on them that can be harvested for drama. I don't know what the heck they are going to do about the Greyjoys, there is a lot a material there thats wild enough it does not need a lot of rework, even Asha and Theon's stories. Sanas's story at the Eyrie is going somewhere ,that might be interesting, that one is kind of a puzzle.

Big doings could happen at Meereen if Dave and Dan restructure George's meanderings, in fact the set piece of season 5 could the breaking of the siege of Meereen, tho my guess is S5E9 will be Daznak's Pit. Where to put the break of the siege of Meereen is a mystery, S6E9 would seems too late, but they may fit that in early S6.

I don't know where the dust up at Winterfell fits, if it takes place.

A ton of stuff to take care of at the Wall.

The Dorne story and the Sand Snakes is still in the making, in the books.

Of course the Ragnarök with the Great Other, is that in WoW or DoS?

What I am getting at here is that , show wise, after four seasons, KL except for one story, is not where anything much interesting is happening.

Which is ok with me.

Okay with me too. I'm just saying, we all know that whenever they need to fill out an episode, they take it too King's Landing for a tv only interaction between Cersei/Tywin/Littlefinger/Tyrion/Varys/Pycelle/Shae/Sansa/Margeary/Loras. Not anymore they can't. S5 will be a very different show. Meereen and the Wall will pretty much be the new KL.

[boojam]

Okay with me too. I'm just saying, we all know that whenever they need to fill out an episode, they take it too King's Landing for a tv only interaction between Cersei/Tywin/Littlefinger/Tyrion/Varys/Pycelle/Shae/Sansa/Margeary/Loras. Not anymore they can't. S5 will be a very different show. Meereen and the Wall will pretty much be the new KL.

And Braavos too.

It's just me, but I found the most interesting story in Feast and Dance to be Arya's.

Because Braavos is such a crazy and rich place and Arya's story so weird.

The interesting parts of Dany's story were of interest to me too, if you boil out all the repetition.

Like I said one could mine and invent a lot of zinger stuff for the Greyjoys, we shall see.

The Wall has a lot happing,almost as much as KL, in it's weird kind of way.

[Stan the Man Baratheon]

The entirety of the North should be the central attention in the next season. So much stuff is happening there.

KL should get toned down alot. Jaime, Tyrion, Varys, LF, Tywin, Joffrey, Bronn, Sansa, Brienne etc will not be present there.

[raj34]

Do you think this was a move by HBO higher ups to pressure GRRM into finishing WoW? I mean HBO has NEVER done this albiet there has never been a show like GoT. It just seems like this was a move to make GRRM produce. I think we all know Dan, Daivd, and George included that you can't get two seasons worth of material outta FFC and DWD. Like they gave him a dead line. GRRM even said on his blog that he was surprised that it was renewed for 2 seasons. Just thinking aloud here.

There's no force in the universe that will compel GRRM to write any faster than he wants to. And that's his prerogative.

It is what it is.

[raj34]

My thinking is that this announcement for 2 seasons (am I right in thinking that's unique for TV?) puts an end to the 7 seasons only plan.

The issues for books 4&5 have always been that there's too much material for 1 season (excepting the odd disillusioned reader who thinks they're 70% filler, 30% story, rather than 20% filler, 80% story of reality); whilst there's no satisfying stop off to split over 2 seasons, and possibly running a little short on story for 20 episodes.

I feel this announcement, made in advance, is a green-light to spread the 2 books over 2 seasons, probably with at least 1, probably both of the major battles put back into Act II where they belong. They can be written as one, possibly even shot as one, with the security that they're not going to get the rug pulled out from under their feet.

Yes, it means going beyond 7 seasons; which in turn means renegotiating contracts; go to an 8th season, and the only contracts they need to renegotiate are characters still surviving from S1; go to 9 seasons, and you bring in S2's actors as well.

This being GOT; how many actors actually is that, that will appear in both S1 AND S8, or even S2 AND S9?

Nine seasons? Why stop there? Why not 12?

[Flou]

Nine seasons? Why stop there? Why not 12?

If they, yes that's a big if they want to do it right. They will spend seasons 5 and part of season 6 with AFFC&ADWD with either Battle of the Ice or Battle of the Fire being thrown into Season 6. If what GRRM has said is true, TWoW will be long asa book and they might have to split it up to two seasons like they did with ASoS.

Season 5 = AFFC&ADWD

Season 6 = ADWD&TWoW

Season 7 = TWoW

Season 8 = TWoW&ADoS

Season 9 = ADoS

Of course they can also rush through the last 4 books in 3 seasons and end it with Season 7 pissing off the author and most of the fans by cutting about half of the content. I would like to think that they got at least some loyalty to the author and to the fans and some respect towards the source material that they won't just outright butcher the story during the next 3 years after they've done so much to make it a proper adaptation.

[raj34]

Of course they can also rush through the last 4 books in 3 seasons and end it with Season 7 pissing off the author and most of the fans by cutting about half of the content. I would like to think that they got at least some loyalty to the author and to the fans and some respect towards the source material that they won't just outright butcher the story during the next 3 years after they've done so much to make it a proper adaptation.

Most of the fans? You need to step outside your bubble.

Why would seven seasons butcher the story? From what I understand, GRRM's original plan was to skip over the vast majority of AFFC/ADWD with the so-called 'five year gap.' Maybe the show will fulfill the author's original (and possibly better) vision.

[Flou]

Most of the fans? You need to step outside your bubble.

Why would seven seasons butcher the story? From what I understand, GRRM's original plan was to skip over the vast majority of AFFC/ADWD with the so-called 'five year gap.' Maybe the show will fulfill the author's original (and possibly better) vision.

Yes, most of the fans. Or do you think that everyone who watches the show haven't read the books and if they did start to read the books afterwards they don't give a **** how much content is cut from the books?

[raj34]

Yes, most of the fans. Or do you think that everyone who watches the show haven't read the books and if they did start to read the books afterwards they don't give a **** how much content is cut from the books?

Yes, I think most of the fans who watch the show haven't read the books.

[~DarkHorse~]

Not surprised. If the ending to this season is what I expect then season five's premiere will do really well.

:agree: That scene will be the best ending yet!

[Douglas Dubh]

I can see 8 seasons working but it seems unlikely 9 would. Besides the problem of getting everyone to commit to another year, it's quite possible that DOS won't have a climax mid book that will make it easily able to be split into two seasons.