[worry]

I don't think that's gonna happen, it's just more of the GRRM is gonna die early scaremongering that hasn't done anyone any good since it started.

[Ceda Cicero]

 Briar King, on 20 August 2012 - 03:36 AM, said:

I don't think he's gonna die I just fear that the show is ginna catch up before the bks are done. I know we ll be safe for a good 4 to 5 yrs if they do the 2 seasons a bk bit but it's on my mind alot more now with the rumors of 8 bks instead of 7.

I hate to be a morbid asshole and this is no referendum at all, but I'm really 50/50 on the whole dying thing. Not because of his age or health or the time it takes him to write the books. More because Karma's a fucking bitch and my imagination is a landscape littered with dead characters I loved that fell to Martin's pen.

[Werthead]

Yes, it's possible, if not likely, that the series will outpace the books. And when that happens, the writers will switch to using a detailed outline provided by GRRM (already in their possession apparently) of the rest of the plot. GRRM would obviously still contribute to the series at that point as well (and would, I'd hope, write the final episode of the series).

The degree to which the series would 'spoil' the books is debatable. Even if the major beats (what happens to Dany and Jon etc) are spoiled, there are many, many storylines in the books that are not covered in the TV series and would not be affected. And GRRM is fully capable of changing his mind and changing a major plot element in the novels, even if it then differs from what was in the TV series.

[Werthead]

Between the UK and American audience figures alone (not counting the rest of the world) the show gets 12 million viewers a week. There's between 3 and 4 million people worldwide who've read the books. So all the book readers jumping ship would dent the figures, but not destroy them. And I doubt for a nanosecond that 'most' would do any such thing. I think a lot of book readers would be happier at finding out the end of the series in a matter of 5-6 years rather than waiting potentially another 10+ years for the last two (three?) books to come out.

[worry]

This show is so popular that for the first time in recorded history, HBO discounted its first season DVDs/Blu Rays to below $1 bajillion dollars, something they've never done for any other show.

[McLovin]

 Werthead, on 27 August 2012 - 06:47 PM, said:

I think a lot of book readers would be happier at finding out the end of the series in a matter of 5-6 years rather than waiting potentially another 10+ years for the last two (three?) books to come out.

Not me. I want that first read experience for each book, thank you very much. Even though I've read the first 4 books multiple times, I can still remember the WTF moments I had during the first reads of each. Well, the first three books, anyway I don't want my first read to feel like a re-read.

[worry]

I wouldn't blame you, I just don't think there's any way it happens.

[Werthead]

 worrywort, on 29 August 2012 - 02:32 AM, said:

I wouldn't blame you, I just don't think there's any way it happens.

You mean, there's no way this won't happen?

Because even if GRRM drops down to 4 years per book for two more books, the show will definitely 100% overtake him. There's just no way of him getting ahead of the series sufficiently. And with GRRM unable/unwilling to speed up production to what would be needed (a book every 2 years, which is clearly not going to happen) and with the show a massive success with there being absolutely zero chance of the show pausing to let him get ahead (and HBO have spelled it out clearly that this will never happen either), the situation is almost inevitable at this point: HBO will overtake GRRM and deliver a finale to the story before he will write it in a novel.

In fact, the only way this won't happen is if so many people are enraged/annoyed by an upcoming major event that they stop watching and the show is cancelled. But then given how many people still watch True Blood despite the absolute train wreck it's become, that's highly unlikely to happen either.

This post has been edited by Werthead: 12 September 2012 - 10:32 PM

[worry]

Inevitable...or evitable? I say the latter!

[Defiance]

While I haven't found the last two books of A Song of Ice and Fire amazing, I would much rather read the conclusion in book form. Finishing the TV series first, which does sound like it's inevitable at this point, would be a big kick in the balls to people who have been reading it for so many years.

At this point, though, I'm starting to have trouble keeping myself invested in the books. While there were some great parts to A Dance with Dragons, I largely didn't care about what's going on. At this point, all that I'm really interested in is:

Spoiler

1. Learning about the Others and finally seeing them start to kick some ass
2. Reading about Stannis. I don't know how, but this guy suddenly became my favorite character. I don't see him becoming king of the Iron Throne, but I feel like he's going to kick some major ass before he goes down.
3. Reading about Theon. His chapters were the highlight of the fifth book for me (Barristan was a fun read as well).
4. Hoping that Aegon thanks Daenerys for the dragons then slits her throat (assuming she gets to Westeros...god I hope so, Essos is such a drag to read about, sure it's supposed to be all interesting and exotic but to me it just feels flat and unrelatable, Westeros is infinitely more interesting). Yeah, this was supposedly Dany's "learn how to rule" book, but I really don't care to see her in power. All she needs to do is contribute her dragons to kick some Other ass and then get the fuck off.

[worry]

Mean!

[amphibian]

 Werthead, on 24 August 2012 - 12:17 AM, said:

Yes, it's possible, if not likely, that the series will outpace the books. And when that happens, the writers will switch to using a detailed outline provided by GRRM (already in their possession apparently) of the rest of the plot. GRRM would obviously still contribute to the series at that point as well (and would, I'd hope, write the final episode of the series).

Why is GRRM writing any episodes?

 Werthead, on 12 September 2012 - 10:31 PM, said:

In fact, the only way this won't happen is if so many people are enraged/annoyed by an upcoming major event that they stop watching and the show is cancelled. But then given how many people still watch True Blood despite the absolute train wreck it's become, that's highly unlikely to happen either.

I really wouldn't apply train wreck to True Blood. It never set out to be an epitome of drama and skillfully handled plotlines. The show is a very well educated drag queen in disguise and promises a trashy good time to viewers, as well as providing lightning pole characters (I hate Sookie/Tara/I heart Bill/Eric etc.).

That sells and it sells well enough that they keep upping the twists and swerves of the melodramatic story. True Blood is achieving almost exactly what it was aimed to do.

A train wreck would be something like Andromeda in its last seasons where it was getting very little production money and had to somehow generate a coherent plotline from scratch.

[Werthead]

 amphibian, on 13 September 2012 - 05:06 AM, said:

Why is GRRM writing any episodes?

It's in his contract. Also, his two episodes so far have been the best two out of the whole series, so it's turned out to be quite a good move. Plus it helps that he only has about two weeks to write each episode, so it does not take too much time out from other things (like, for example, the next novel).

[worry]

I'm sure 4 & 5 will be combined and last at least two seasons. Not sure if they can be stretched into three, but I wouldn't be surprised.

[Defiance]

Those would be some pretty mediocre seasons, I think. Like many, I found Feast and Dance to be decidedly mediocre compared to the first three books. While there were certainly some important bits, a lot of it - Dance, mainly - felt like it was working up toward a climax that never came. As a result, I wonder if they'll mess with the structure a bit more than just combining Feast and Dance and add in either the Winterfell or Mereen battles that are supposed to happen at the beginning of Winds. Otherwise, they'll have two big battles at the very start of the season (assuming that the Mereen battle isn't stretched out until halfway through Winds...god I hope not) which would probably be a nightmare to film.

[Macros]

am I the only one who thinks the girl cast Melisandre is far too young?

[Ceda Cicero]

Definitely thought casting for Mel and Renly was spot on. In fact, BK, kinda surprised you think Renly was strangely cast. I'll admit, not precisely what I had pictured, for either character, but I still thought really well done.

Honestly I have pretty much no significant casting complaints or questions thus far (with the exception of season 2 Gregor, which one could argue was unavoidable, and as much a fault of writers pretty much making the character invisible as it was the change in actors.) Even the most drastic departures (Margaery) I get within the context of the show.

Shae might be another exception there, but again, that's more to do with the writing and the character direction than the chops of the actor. And even there I'm reserving judgment on their handling of Shae until I see where they take the arc.

[Werthead]

The actress playing Melisandre is 36. Certainly in terms of artwork (official and not) she always looks like she's around that age.

Quote

I still feel that there will be a war when the show passes the bks though. I'm wonder if HBO will try to let him have xtra time to write by making bk 4 & 5 into 2 seasons? I don't think that 4 would merit 2 though.

The 'book a season' thing has already ended. Season 3 will contain roughly 60-70% of ASoS, so Season 4 will be the rest and then the start of both AFFC and ADWD (which run together simultaneously), with both books' storylines continuing through Season 5 and maybe even into the start of Season 6. However, I also suspect that the writers will start diverging more notably from the books to try to keep the pacing up and moving more decisively towards the end of the story (since they probably have to wrap the series up in seven years at the earliest, nine at the latest).

[Macros]

The girl in that video was from holyoaks, she's about 19. They must have changed the cast person

[Wry]

 Macros, on 19 September 2012 - 09:14 PM, said:

The girl in that video was from holyoaks, she's about 19. They must have changed the cast person

Quote

am I the only one who thinks the girl cast Melisandre is far too young?

I think you're saying Melisandre when you mean Missandei.

This post has been edited by Wry: 19 September 2012 - 10:31 PM