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Deviation from the books.


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Many tv to movie series end up deviating from the books. Check out Sword of Truth for example. Trueblood is also deviating from the books its based on in the second seasons; season 1 had some changes as well.

This is done due to various reasons, such as on screen chemistry between two actors which the producers think will serve the show better, even if its not in the books. Also, its done to keep the series fresh even for those who have read the books.

So do you think they will make any changes from the books in the asoiaf series?

Example: A producer feels that the actor playing Catelyn has good chemistry with the actor playing Rodderick Cassel so they start having a love affair during their journey aboard the ship. This wont really change the story at all as the end fates of both characters will be the same, but it sure as hell will piss off many readers of the books! (not to mention that its totally against the character of catelyn in the books)

Example 2: Catelyn has an affair with jaimie lannister during his imprisonment. Again, wont change the outcome of the books...but again it fucks with Catelyns character.

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Doubt it. Benioff and Weiss seem very keen to stick as closely to the books as they can, and the fact is that, considering there are three more books yet to be published, we don't yet know exactly what effect changing the story might have on future plotlines. I particularly don't think they'd go for the affair route, because it would change the very nature of the characters in ways that wouldn't make sense.

I don't think the Sword of Truth tv series was ever intended by Disney to stick that closely to the books. If they had intended to, they wouldn't have cut out Goodkind from the development process.

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I'm sure such thinks as the ones you suggest are not going to happen, since regardless of the chemistry between any pair of characters, those kind of affairs would detract from the main plot.

I guess that at the end we get a second season we could have more deviations due to the availability of actors. In fact, it might be fun to try to think how the writers could fare with some of the actors not renewing their contracts.

Example 3: The actor playing Robb dosn't want to return. We would start S2 with Robb having already departed to the westerlands to fight his war offscreen and communicating with Cat through letters. Then we learn that he died at Oxcross. Since it is no logner possible to marry one of his daughters to a king, Lord Frey turns his cloak and kills Cat and other northmen at the Red Wedding.

Example 4: The actor playing Theon dosn't want to return. The S2 start with news that he was sent to Pyke to negotiate. Then we get news that since when he discovered that Balon was planning to attack the North, he opposed him and was killed for it. Then Victarion takes his place in the conquest of Wintefell.

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From what I've read, Benioff and Weiss are fairly keen to keep the HBO production as faithful to the books as possible, and having GRRM as an exec. producer only emphasises that. Simply because television is a completely different medium to the written word, I can see some small changes being made: small plot points that won't affect the over-arching plot of a season but that are convenient as an adaptation, and then there are the obvious added/edited scenes that will appear in the series without being in the books (whether it's a scene that is alluded to or one that is completely fabricated) that drive the same point home in a method more effective to the small screen than the one the book offered.

As for your point, The hairy bear, while I agree the first could work, Victarion going to Winterfell would have too significant an effect to remain true to the story, IMO. Sorry to nitpick, as I know it was only an example. We'll just have to hope that the actors wouldn't do that to us ;)

Bottom line, I think, is that while Benioff and Weiss may have to change certain things for the sake of adapting the story to the small screen, I can see them running any significant changes through Mr. Martin first.

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Martin has written some great stuff, and I think we all agree that every line has a right to be heard and performed... but Martin has been a screenwriter for some time, right? I think he will be amenable if there are some changes. Is Cat TOO good? Will (non-initiated) viewers see her as uptight and preferring only her own children? Will she need to be altered some?

These characters are great, and hopefully all will come to the screen with little or no story deviation. I wonder, though, if without all that text to emphasis here and there the intentions those characters have, if the the action will be too complex and confusing, and story changes will be required to help the flow of the story on screen.

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*SPOILERS*

One thing they WILL change is Dany's age due to her graphic sex and nude scenes. There is absolutely ZERO chance she's 13 at the start of the television series. I could also see Eddard surviving longer than he does in the series (in captivity possibly) if the actor is exceptional. Expect characters to be combined, rearranged, or even cut out entirely. Dialogue and action drives a television series, so unless they use a VO, a lot of the internal thoughts and conflicts of the series will be done differently.

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Expect characters to be combined, rearranged, or even cut out entirely. Dialogue and action drives a television series, so unless they use a VO, a lot of the internal thoughts and conflicts of the series will be done differently.

Yeah, that. I think minor characters will be elminated or relegated to background shots (with proper identifiers for us book fans) just to keep the number of proper names introduced down. While I'll personally be pleased if everyone who has name and a line in the book keeps their status, I just don't think that'd go over well with the non-book audience. I also suspect that chapters will be cut, esp if the series gets to Storm or Feast (Arya's visit to Acorn Hall, or Brienne's to Crackclaw Point). If there is something that must be retained, it'll be moved to another part of the timeline or some lines will be given to another character.

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Trueblood is also deviating from the books its based on in the second seasons; season 1 had some changes as well.

I read the first True Blood book (Dead After Dark), after watching the first season of the HBO series.

The HBO version is way better than the book.

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Will they have to omit things from the book? Regrettably I am sure things will be cut.

Will they add scenes to enhance character development and plot points? Hopefully (imo). If the sample pilot script is real, they they have already added in a few juicy scenes of this nature.

Will they out right deviate and change relevant event sin the story? I really. really hope not. There may be certain small deviances that they just can't avoid due to time and budgetary restraints, but from every source that I have scene, the writers (including George himself) have a strong commitment to uphold the tale the way it was intended. Anything is possible, but from the look of things its not likely that we will get many changes.

True Blood and Legend of the Seeker are both series based on the source material, but its obvious for one reason (FCC viewing restraints in LotS's case) or another (HBO's penchant for added sex and violence and excellent dramatic story telling to draw in adult crowds for True Blood) that there was never much of a commitment to keep the tale pure in either of these cases. GoT seems not just based on a novel, but a faitful retelling of the actual tale.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I wouldn't mind if they deviate by showing other places than what we've seen in the books. For example, if they introduce what is going on in Dorne or the Reach during the first season- not changing stuff, just showing us stuff that we don't know about from the books. I'm not sure if that makes total sense.

It just seems a good way to introduce the major players that we know will be a factor later on, especially if they are looking to mix it up a bit

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. . . Example: A producer feels that the actor playing Catelyn has good chemistry with the actor playing Rodderick Cassel so they start having a love affair during their journey aboard the ship.

Example 2: Catelyn has an affair with jaimie lannister during his imprisonment.

I never realised Cat was such a slut. :)

So do you think they will make any changes from the books in the asoiaf series?

I don't think they will make major changes to the overall story but they will engage in a bit of pruning. The most significant changes will, as has already been suggested by Aystan, involve the ages of the characters I'd guess that all the older kids will be cast as late teens to earl twenties

I wouldn't mind if they deviate by showing other places than what we've seen in the books

I don't think it's likely they'll be trying to keep the budget down so unnecessary locations are a non-runner I would imagine

It just seems a good way to introduce the major players that we know will be a factor later on

It would also mean having to cast and hire actors who wouldn’t be appearing until season 4 which is more unnecessary expense :hat:

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Example 3: The actor playing Robb dosn't want to return. We would start S2 with Robb having already departed to the westerlands to fight his war offscreen and communicating with Cat through letters. Then we learn that he died at Oxcross. Since it is no logner possible to marry one of his daughters to a king, Lord Frey turns his cloak and kills Cat and other northmen at the Red Wedding.

Example 4: The actor playing Theon dosn't want to return. The S2 start with news that he was sent to Pyke to negotiate. Then we get news that since when he discovered that Balon was planning to attack the North, he opposed him and was killed for it. Then Victarion takes his place in the conquest of Wintefell.

You make a good point about these. But, I think that could be dealt with by hiring another actor. Other long-running shows have done this. The first that comes to mind is ER, where Dr, Green's daughter was played by one actress the first 2 or 3 seasons and was replaced by another in later seasons. She wasn't a major character - less important than Theon or Robb, and she wasn't on every episode but she appeared a few times each season for a while. It was quite obviously a different girl, but I don't know that anyone ever made a big deal about it.

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One thing they WILL change is Dany's age due to her graphic sex and nude scenes. There is absolutely ZERO chance she's 13 at the start of the television series.

I think they could have gone with a 13 year old if they eliminated the graphic sex and kept the nudity implied rather than explicit. They got away with a teenage (under 18) girl playing Juliet in the 1968 movie based on the play - and even had a brief shot of her thingis!

They also could have used a body double like they did in Blue Lagoon.

However, they are indeed casting a college aged girl for Dany. This has one major benefit. We are going to get to see her totally naked! Woo-hoo!

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However, they are indeed casting a college aged girl for Dany. This has one major benefit. We are going to get to see her totally naked! Woo-hoo!

Am. There is no guarantee of that.

I think the other reason they are aged is that GRRM has always been a little uncomfortable with the age of the characters from aDwD onwards. So making them older in aGoT fixes that as an issue.

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I think the other reason they are aged is that GRRM has always been a little uncomfortable with the age of the characters from aDwD onwards. So making them older in aGoT fixes that as an issue.

That's totally Martin's fault for not controlling the narrative properly. He intended AFFC to be 5 years after ASOS and I think it would have been better that way.

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I don't know about HBO, but I do know that Showtime did deviate from the Dexter novels to the point where you can read the series and still be surprised with the show. Sooo many things on the show that weren't in the books and vice versa..

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I guess a big part of it will depend on how optimistic they are about this going beyond one season. If they truly do hope to end up filming seven seasons worth of the show, they can't deviate too much from the plot because they don't yet know what sort of effect changing things here and there will end up having on the final three books. You might change something from AGOT which looks pretty insignificant, only to discover that Martin picks up on that theme again hugely in A Time for Wolves, and that the show now doesn't make any sense.

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I'd much rather see them adjust the story in a believable enough way than hire different actors if one quits. I hate it when characters are suddenly played by a new actor.

Not sure how this could be done if somebody major enough left. Dany is killed off before she even gets to Westeros? :)

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Not sure how this could be done if somebody major enough left. Dany is killed off before she even gets to Westeros? :)

You are underestimating the powers of VISERYS REBORN. :smoking:

Half-man, half-golden-armored wraith, half-dragon, and with the power of telekinesis. Westeros will crumble at his feet!

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