Regular Characters

[Loras]

I was looking at "A Game Of Thrones" the other day and got to thinking about the central characters of the novel. In my opinion these are Catelyn, Tyrion, Eddard and Jon. Yet in this novel almost all of these characters diverge in terms of location, which drags in yet more characters. Yet in episodic TV the number of regular characters is limited to about 10.
So thinking about it further I decided that my 10 would be:

1.) Eddard Stark
2.) Catelyn Stark
3.) Tyrion Lannister
4.) Cersei Lannister
5.) Robert Baratheon*
6.) Jon Snow
7.) Sansa Stark
8.) Arya Stark
9.) Daenerys Targaryen
10.) Jorah Mormont

* - replaced by Samwell Tarly upon his death.

Yet I feel that this is unfair to characters such as Petyr, Robb, Bran, Joffrey, Sandor etc. I discounted Robb as his character disappears for a large quantity of Book 2 before his brief return. Bran got removed due to relevance to the overal story (in Book 1, would be re-instated at the end of Book 3).

I was wondering which characters you guys think are going to get regular billing in the series?

[psim]

Deadwood had like 25 actors that were listed during the credits by the end, so I don't think these limitations necessarily apply...

[cybroleach]

[quote name='Loras' post='1593061' date='Nov 18 2008, 15.18']I was looking at "A Game Of Thrones" the other day and got to thinking about the central characters of the novel. In my opinion these are Catelyn, Tyrion, Eddard and Jon. Yet in this novel almost all of these characters diverge in terms of location, which drags in yet more characters. Yet in episodic TV the number of regular characters is limited to about 10.
So thinking about it further I decided that my 10 would be:

1.) Eddard Stark
2.) Catelyn Stark
3.) Tyrion Lannister
4.) Cersei Lannister
5.) Robert Baratheon*
6.) Jon Snow
7.) Sansa Stark
8.) Arya Stark
9.) Daenerys Targaryen
10.) Jorah Mormont

* - replaced by Samwell Tarly upon his death.

Yet I feel that this is unfair to characters such as Petyr, Robb, Bran, Joffrey, Sandor etc. I discounted Robb as his character disappears for a large quantity of Book 2 before his brief return. Bran got removed due to relevance to the overal story (in Book 1, would be re-instated at the end of Book 3).

I was wondering which characters you guys think are going to get regular billing in the series?[/quote]

I doubt Dany and Jorah will be main characters in the first season she has 9 small chapters and he's only featured in 8 of them. not mention you could do her whole story in one or two or two half epps. Certainly not gonna get the screen time of a Bran or Joffery or even Rodrick Cassel & Maester Luwin.

[GoGoHBOSeries]

[quote name='Loras' post='1593061' date='Nov 18 2008, 16.18']1.) Eddard Stark
2.) Catelyn Stark
3.) Tyrion Lannister
4.) Cersei Lannister
5.) Robert Baratheon*
6.) Jon Snow
7.) Sansa Stark
8.) Arya Stark
9.) Daenerys Targaryen
10.) Jorah Mormont

* - replaced by Samwell Tarly upon his death.[/quote]

I think that's a good list. I would remove Dany and Jorah though. And replace them with Petyr (Eddard and Catelyn need their drama) and Joffrey (Sansa needs hers). I have a feeling Dany will be the victim of script cutting at the end of the day. Her story is just too separate from the main arc in GOT, and can be put in during the 2nd season. Another character who might not get as much attention as they do in the books would be Arya, imho.

[feyrband]

[quote name='GoGoHBOSeries' post='1594891' date='Nov 20 2008, 01.18']I think that's a good list. I would remove Dany and Jorah though. And replace them with Petyr (Eddard and Catelyn need their drama) and Joffrey (Sansa needs hers). I have a feeling Dany will be the victim of script cutting at the end of the day. Her story is just too separate from the main arc in GOT, and can be put in during the 2nd season. Another character who might not get as much attention as they do in the books would be Arya, imho.[/quote]

think you hit the nail on the hed. Dany/vis and Jorah are a minor side-story for quite awhile.

[Jon Targaryen]

[quote name='feyrband' post='1594908' date='Nov 19 2008, 23.00']think you hit the nail on the hed. Dany/vis and Jorah are a minor side-story for quite awhile.[/quote]
Yes, they are. All the way up through ASOS and probably well into the "fourth" book/season. If they get that far and run AFFC and ADWD together as many think then she would most likely be "separate" from the main story arc for at least four seasons. So, are we just going to have a Dany "miniseries" before the 5th season or are we going to include her at some time earlier in the process? If yes to the latter, I don't see how waiting for season 2 helps any wrt the "problem." Ergo, just put her in with the rest in season 1.

Cause you can't take her out, unless you just want to do up through ASOS only and cut out Jon's storyline and the meat of Bran's storyline as well while you're at it. In other words, cut out the Others, who it appears Dany is destined to fight in the climax of the series. Speculation, I know(guess).

[GoGoHBOSeries]

If this goes to series, we're looking at roughly 600 minutes of story altogether. Could Dany be fit it? Yes. But think about it this way. We're trying to list the 10 characters who are going to get the most screen time and character development. Thats 60 minutes for each character divided over the season. Eddard, Catelyn, Tyrion and cersei alone are going to take up the bulk of that time.

I just think that Dany would be the most logical main character to cut out of the season, or at least sideline. She will require radically different shooting locations and design aesthetics. And, I think her story would stand well alone as a mini or standalone episode. The main drama is the Stark versus Lannister thread. And there is no shortage of characters who need their background and importance highlighted in that drama. We will see if she makes it in, and I predict if she does, it's going to be a watered down version. I'd rather have her come in later in the series (If it's a critical and financial success) as a character who looks like they're going to shake things up.

P.S. I think it will be pretty safe to say that if they do shooting in Spain (Not around a castle) that Dany will be incorporated into the series.

[Ran]

Cersei? Why would Cersei take up as much time as Ned, Cat, and Tyrion, and more time than any of the others? Seems to me that Cersei's role is rather limited in terms of on-screen activity until the end. She's glimpsed, she has a couple of lines, and that's about it for most of her chapters until her meeting with Ned.

[GoGoHBOSeries]

I see your point. She is the prime antagonist in GOT though. Littlefinger will probably require much more time than her. I just think the bulk of time will be spent with the Starks, and all the characters around them. Dany is the most distant from that thread. If she takes up 10% of the total script, that's only 5 minutes per episode. So maybe it's doable. It would provide a nice desert contrast to the snow and forests of Westeros.

[pablonohablo]

[quote name='Loras' post='1593061' date='Nov 19 2008, 05.18']I was looking at "A Game Of Thrones" the other day and got to thinking about the central characters of the novel. In my opinion these are Catelyn, Tyrion, Eddard and Jon. Yet in this novel almost all of these characters diverge in terms of location, which drags in yet more characters. Yet in episodic TV the number of regular characters is limited to about 10.
So thinking about it further I decided that my 10 would be:

1.) Eddard Stark
2.) Catelyn Stark
3.) Tyrion Lannister
4.) Cersei Lannister
5.) Robert Baratheon*
6.) Jon Snow
7.) Sansa Stark
8.) Arya Stark
9.) Daenerys Targaryen
10.) Jorah Mormont

* - replaced by Samwell Tarly upon his death.[/quote]

I'd definitely remove Cersei and Jorah from that list, and probaly Dany too.

For reasons already discussed, Dany's -- and, by extension, Jorah's -- scenes (which I think should be in there, if somewhat shortened) won't take up much time. Her arc is very important to the story, however. Cersei is also a mover and shaker (literally and figuratively), but not one to whom you have to devote much screen time. I think Petyr definitely needs to be on that top-10 list.