‘Game of Thrones’ season 4: One actor on George R.R. Martin, and the ‘catching up’ issue
While not everyone talks about it all the time, there is clearly a massive elephant in the room when it comes to “Game of Thrones” at this point in the series’ run: Whether or not the show is going to eventually run into a problem as it gets closer and closer to catching up to the same point in the story as George R.R. Martin is in his book series. As a matter of fact, they are really almost there.
We feel personally like unless there is another Martin book that comes out within the next year or so, it is going to be rather hard for the show to make a season 6 without clashing and producing material that has not been written yet. Next year is probably the only one left where they can get on equal footing.
So is this something that the actors think about a little bit? It seems so, at least based on the comments that Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran) gives to GQ in a new interview:
“… In season four actually, a lot of the storylines are starting to be either sped up or slowed down and some people are nearly at the end of their storyline and others are way before. I guess it’s George’s biggest fear, when the show catches up to him, which it inevitably will unless he gets the next book out. But I don’t think we’re particularly worried about it because David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] know the ending. In a sense, we follow David and Dan rather than the books. It’s inevitable that things are going to get left out. In condensing the books, different storylines are made differently. Rather than the books, it’s definitely the scripts and the producers for us.”
As for when Martin’s book will come out … the answer is “when it’s done.” We fear for any interviewer who tries to even ask him this question in a new interview at this point.
Are you okay with a “Game of Thrones” hiatus in the future so that the show doesn’t catch up with the books? Share below! Also, click here if you haven’t seen the most-recent trailer for the show yet, or here to sign up now for our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: HBO
Tim Hansen
February 24, 2014 @ 6:40 am
It’s impressive how mature the young actors like Isaac Hempstead-Wright and Maisie Williams seems to be in interviews. I know a lot of adults who wouldn’t be able to express themselves half as good.
Jillian Kohl
February 24, 2014 @ 2:57 am
It would be a big mistake for martin to let the show surpass the books AND keep the same ending for both. I feel like many people will loose interest in the books which would be unfortunate financially for martin. It would also cause great disappointment for the ever growing fanbase of the game of thrones series. I have heard many call this man the tolkein of our generation and although those are big shoes to fill, martin is capable if he would bunker down and finish the books. He isn’t getting any younger and I am personally terrified that he will pull a “robrt jordan”. the difference being that there is no one to pick up the torch in martin’s case.
Tim Hansen
February 24, 2014 @ 6:37 am
I can’t believe people are still using the rude “pull a Robert Jordan” comment on the net. It’s an incredible insensitive thing to say.
With Martin’s own words:
“There’s a small minority that are crazy. I get some nasty emails,” Martin said. “The ones that talk about my dying are the most disturbing.”
“I get these letters from the lunatics saying, ‘You better not pull a Jordan on us,’ ” Martin said.
“That really angers me on a bunch of levels. One, they’re speculating about my death and two, they’re diminishing Robert Jordan’s death, who was a friend of mine, like it was some sort of trick he did to get out of doing the book,” Martin said. “It’s pretty nasty stuff.”
“After all, as some of you like to point out in your emails, I am sixty years old and fat, and you don’t want me to ‘pull a Robert Jordan’ on you and deny you your book. Okay, I’ve got the message. You don’t want me doing anything except A Song of Ice and Fire. Ever. (Well, maybe it’s okay if I take a leak once in a while?)
“I loved Lord of the Rings back in the 60s and like many millions of other people I was eagerly looking forward to The Silmarillion,” Martin says. “But it never would have dawned on me to write to Professor Tolkien and say, ‘You better hurry up with The Silmarillion before you die, old man.’ What kind of cretin does that?”
Troy
February 25, 2014 @ 12:18 am
Oh he’s only 60? The beard makes him look older. I think Martin did his due diligence by telling the producers of the HBO version how he intends it to end. What more can you ask of him? Reminds me of when I had brakes done on my car and I called to find out if it was done. The mechanic chided me a bit by saying “don’t rush the doctor” Point well taken. You can’t prod a muse.
Tim Hansen
February 25, 2014 @ 3:54 pm
Well, the comment was written a couple of years ago. He is 65 today. I will rather wait a little extra than see a bad product. It’s like being served food that is not properly cooked because you was not able to wait till it was finished. And no matter what the future brings, the TV-series lives its own life and will be completed unless it’s cancelled due to low numbers or something, which is not going to happen anytime soon.