GRRM Not Writing for Season 5

[Game Of Thrones]

Thanks Annara and Ser Pounce :) Is

Cersei really going to rule now?

Not sure how I feel about that. out of everybody left and all of the Lannisters

I want to see her gone next. More so than Tywin.

Also, it sounds like the Iron Islands plot is intriguing/important and it seems like the Greyjoy brothers are well liked? Too bad they weren't cast and maybe cut from the show altogether? I've been wondering what the Theon/Reek payoff will be and where that storyline is going. Maybe D&D are going in a different direction with that storyline? Can't see then dragging it out all the way until Season 6 and then introducing the brothers. That would mean the Reek storyline would meander all next Season.

Yes, Cersei is

the single most horrible ruler ever.

Yes, the Greyjoy brothers are the best part of AFFC, imo.

[Game Of Thrones]

The highlight? Wow, sounds very intriguing. And here I thought it was a minor subplot. It'll be the highlight even without the Greyjoy brothers?

Reek/Theon is the single best arc of ADWD.

Sadly it's mostly Theon wandering around and thinking, so pretty hard to show on TV...

[Game Of Thrones]

http://winteriscoming.net/2014/07/27/maisie-williams-natalie-dormer-featured-entertainment-weeklys-women-kick-ass-panel/

Arya is only 12 in the book?

Yeah. Sansa's 13 by now (in Feast), Arya's 12 or 13(in the released Winds chapter), Jon's 16 (in Dance). Bran is 8 and Rickon is 4.

[Arkash]

Reek/Theon is the single best arc of ADWD.

Sadly it's mostly Theon wandering around and thinking, so pretty hard to show on TV...

If done properly, it could work as hell : it's not only Theon wandering, it's also the tensions between families, history coming back, exploring Winterfell, Roose struggling to keep it all together, daggers in the snow, blizzard... it can be highly visual on TV !

All we need is Wyman Manderly, fArya, Barbrey Dustin and another Northern Lord and they could work it all as hell !

[Annara Snow]

If done properly, it could work as hell : it's not only Theon wandering, it's also the tensions between families, history coming back, exploring Winterfell, Roose struggling to keep it all together, daggers in the snow, blizzard... it can be highly visual on TV !

All we need is Wyman Manderly, fArya, Barbrey Dustin and another Northern Lord and they could work it all as hell !

We don't really need Barbrey Dustin. Her real purpose in ADWD was to convey some Stark backstory about Rickard and his southron ambitions, and Brandon and his womanizing (providing a hint about Ashara). This is, obviously, not needed on the show. Theon can instead interact more with Roose, and perhaps with Fat Walda, too.

The only indispensable character on that list is fArya (whether she's Jeyne or some random girl), Theon's storyline is completely dependent on her and would collapse without her. And of course, some northern lords are needed. I would love for Wyman Manderly to be on the show, but I can see them cutting him and using some other northern lord instead, since they've changed Rickon's whereabouts.

[Annara Snow]

Reek/Theon is the single best arc of ADWD.

Sadly it's mostly Theon wandering around and thinking, so pretty hard to show on TV...

And Theon meeting fArya and bonding with her, Theon talking to Roose (or rather the other way round), Ramsey marrying and abusing fArya, the horrible wedding night, the Boltons ruling in Winterfell surrounded by northern lords of questionable motives, Theon being despised by the northern lords in Winterfell, Mance and his spearwives arriving to rescue "Arya", the mysterious murders in Winterfell, the obvious tension between the Boltons/Freys and the northern lords while they know Stannis' army is coming, Theon having an emotional breakdown in front of the weirdwood tree - and possibly (probably) being contacted by Bran via the trees, Theon saving fArya, getting captured by Stannis and meeting Asha (Yara) again.

[Annara Snow]

Yes, the Greyjoy brothers are the best part of AFFC, imo.

There's no accounting for taste.

[boojam]

Yeah. Sansa's 13 by now (in Feast), Arya's 12 or 13(in the released Winds chapter), Jon's 16 (in Dance). Bran is 8 and Rickon is 4.

George did spend a year trying to add 5 years to their ages... the famous '5 year gap' but reverted.

I still think this is a mistake , for instance the 'Mercy' chapter from WoW ... Arya does seem to be 17!

From my reading perspective I think George should have done this, even when I read Feast and Dance now , 5 year older characters spring to my mind.

Now , on the show, it's happened by default, the actors playing the characters are indeed 5 years older ... regardless of aging them due to labor laws at the start.

I don't know why D&D didn't think of this , "if the show is a success, the actors could be 7! years older", let's just not mention their ages.

Works for me.

[Annara Snow]

Yeah. Sansa's 13 by now (in Feast), Arya's 12 or 13(in the released Winds chapter), Jon's 16 (in Dance). Bran is 8 and Rickon is 4

Rickon was 4 in the first book, he should be at least 6 by now.

If Sansa is 13, Arya is 11 and Bran is 9 (as of AFFC/ADWD).

[WexPyke]

The show gave us that reveal before the books will (presumably) but that's not really surpassing, since chronologically that was implied to have been happening for some time.

GrrM not writing an s5 episode is strange, because earlier in the year I think he said he would be writing one. I guess his workload became too great. If it means we get TWOW sooner though, I won't complain.

This is also being discussed here: http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/114700-grrm-drops-everything-to-write-twow/

That is my concern, if GRRM said earlier he was writing an episode and now is not something has changed. I do hope he regrets giving D&D full control and hope he can do something about it legally.

[Ser Pounce FTW]

That is my concern, if GRRM said earlier he was writing an episode and now is not something has changed.

Something has changed. The show has caught up to the books and will pass it long before Martin finishes. It's sad that now that Martin is taking the deadline serious (albeit probably too late), some want to make it out to be a different problem rather than him trying to get the books and his story out before the show does.

[WexPyke]

I am not sure any of us know that Ser Pounce. I hope you are right but it seems he would have moved sooner had that beem the case. Maybe he is juat a bigger procrastinator

[Game Of Thrones]

If done properly, it could work as hell : it's not only Theon wandering, it's also the tensions between families, history coming back, exploring Winterfell, Roose struggling to keep it all together, daggers in the snow, blizzard... it can be highly visual on TV !

All we need is Wyman Manderly, fArya, Barbrey Dustin and another Northern Lord and they could work it all as hell !

House tensions: We have no House Manderly in the show (only a soldier with the Manderly sigil in the RW), and ONE mention of House Dustin. To the average watcher, there are no such Houses as House Manderly, House Dustin, House Cerwyn, House Hornwood, House Ryswell, House Locke, or House Flint. And since D&D underestimate the watcher's intelligence constantly, I'm pretty sure there'll be no Winterfell conflict.

History: Yeah, because the show excels at history, right?

WF: What I said about Theon wandering around and thinking.

Roose: Hopefully. But maybe D&D will worry that people will confuse Roose with Stannis and just kill him off. Wouldn't put it beyond them.

Murders: One thing that will be done right.

Blizzard: Well....

Wyman: He's in, I hope....

Jeyne: She'll be in for T&A. I'm 70% certain that there'll be episodes of Jeyne's torture porn instead of Theon's redemption.

Barbrey: Nope.No time, a result of fitting 2000 pages into a single season.

Umbers: See above.

Karstarks: Alys might be in, but her uncles are 99.9% cut.

[Game Of Thrones]

And Theon meeting fArya and bonding with her, Theon talking to Roose (or rather the other way round), Ramsey marrying and abusing fArya, the horrible wedding night, the Boltons ruling in Winterfell surrounded by northern lords of questionable motives, Theon being despised by the northern lords in Winterfell, Mance and his spearwives arriving to rescue "Arya", the mysterious murders in Winterfell, the obvious tension between the Boltons/Freys and the northern lords while they know Stannis' army is coming, Theon having an emotional breakdown in front of the weirdwood tree - and possibly (probably) being contacted by Bran via the trees, Theon saving fArya, getting captured by Stannis and meeting Asha (Yara) again.

I exaggerated.

My point was that his whole arc isn't easy to portray on TV.

[Ser Pounce FTW]

I am not sure any of us know that Ser Pounce. I hope you are right but it seems he would have moved sooner had that beem the case. Maybe he is juat a bigger procrastinator

I actually think this decision was made earlier in the year when all his ideas - having a book last for a few seasons, having a prequel, having a movie finale - were all shot down and he realized there was no buffer between the approaching end of the show. Let's face it, he probably would have written the script by now and it sounds like instead he worked on his book. He's also cleared his schedule of new trips but seems to be obligated to fulfill earlier engagements. Ultimately, I think he really liked doing all the extra stuff like participating in casting and travelling around for interviews and conventions but all of that severely restricted his time for the book. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore and that's a good thing.

[cxvb]

... I do hope he regrets giving D&D full control and hope he can do something about it legally.

There is absolutely no chance of that happening. Not only could the countersuit bankrupt him and wipe his retirement savings but much more importantly, he sat down with D&D before season 4 for a week and discussed all the characters' arcs. If he'd meant to martyr himself (for his own stupidity in selling the rights too early or not working hard enough afterwards) that would have been the point to do it because they couldn't have made him reveal the arcs. (They had a general outline from season 1, but apparently the session before S4 was much more specific and thorough.)

[Cold Crashing Waves]

Love this imaginary GRRM vs D&D war some people seem so convinced of.

[Ser Pounce FTW]

There is absolutely no chance of that happening. Not only could the countersuit bankrupt him and wipe his retirement savings but much more importantly, he sat down with D&D before season 4 for a week and discussed all the characters' arcs. If he'd meant to martyr himself (for his own stupidity in selling the rights too early or not working hard enough afterwards) that would have been the point to do it because they couldn't have made him reveal the arcs. (They had a general outline from season 1, but apparently the session before S4 was much more specific and thorough.)

Not only this but whenever a filming company buys the rights to a book the author does not have any control anymore. That was a big issue with Rowlings and the Potter movies too, and a whole bunch of others I could name. This is very commonplace, tbh.

[cxvb]

Not only this but whenever a filming company buys the rights to a book the author does not have any control anymore.

You are wrong. The rights the author retains are whatever it says in the contract. If the writer retains some veto rights they're usually listed as executive producer or somesuch. Usually writers have to sign away all rights, but it's a matter of clout, no automatic "whenever".

Off topic: Rowling had creative control of the movies. Wikipedia even claims "Rowling had overall approval on the scripts, which were viewed and discussed by the director and the producers."

[Ser Pounce FTW]

Rowling had creative control of the movies. Wikipedia even claims "Rowling had overall approval on the scripts, which were viewed and discussed by the director and the producers."

Huh. And there were still so many complaints. Interesting. And perhaps illustrates even more how film and book diverge.