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"Game of Thrones" showrunners Dan Weiss and David Benioff caused a stir earlier this year when they suggested that the next (and final?) two seasons of "Game of Thrones" would be shorter than seasons past, encompassing just 13 episodes between them. Now, one of the show's directors has confirmed that an abbreviated season seven is indeed in order.
Jack Bender, who helmed two recent season six episodes, "The Door" and "Blood of My Blood," spoke with Vanity Fair about his work on "Thrones." When asked directly whether or not he'd return for the recently-ordered season seven, Bender told VF, "I don't know how to answer that."
He continued:
They're only doing seven [episodes], and they've got their regulars who have done it forever. I know that I had a wonderful experience doing the show and I know that Dan and David are thrilled with the shows. ... I haven't been asked yet and I also don't know what their schedule is going to be. But under the best of circumstances, schedule and everything, I had a great experience doing the show. If available and they wanted me to, I would love to do that." [Reply]
So is this because they're trying to finish the show before Martin releases his new book? Maybe that was a stipulation? I'm not understanding why you would want to have two short seasons with this popular of a show. [Reply]
The show has far fewer subplots going than the books, and they can move things along more quickly to a conclusion. Due to the talent involved in the show, from actors (who are getting older) and writers and directors to the producers themselves, all of whom will have to move on at some point, I think they can only hold this thing together for two more seasons. Plus they want to err on the side of fewer episodes in order to keep a pace of story-telling that will satisfy viewers. So only two more seasons makes sense to me if the show is going to maintain its quality level all the way through.
But the real issue on number of episodes per season is likely a budget issue. If they get a total budget of $60 million a season, and they try to split that among 10 episodes, then it becomes hard to do the material justice as we reach the point in the story where fantasy elements are overtaking the human elements, culminating in one or more huge battles among various factions, and also presumably between dragons and the white walkers. The CGI costs to do these last two seasons well, and with top notch visual effects that the show needs and deserves, are going to be HUGE for a TV show. It would be one thing if it were a movie with a $150 million budget for two hours of material, but the CGI cost is going to be completely unprecedented for TV. [Reply]
It would be cool if they ended the show with the events of book six then took a few years to make the final book into a move. This would allow Martin more time to finish his story. But the show watchers only would be in an uproar, understandably so. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kcpasco:
It would be cool if they ended the show with the events of book six then took a few years to make the final book into a move. This would allow Martin more time to finish his story. But the show watchers only would be in an uproar, understandably so.
Martin can blow me.
He sold his soul for large piles of money, has had his deadline for more than 5 years now and still hasn't produced anything.
If he wanted to stay in control of his story, he should have either dedicating himself to it or not sold it at all. [Reply]
I'm of a different mindset on GRRM at this point. Take your time and do it right.
These books are immensely long, complicated, detailed, interwoven and subtle. They must be incredibly hard to write. Just think how much has been written and how many theories have been hatched from just these five books.
The show will satisfy my craving for an ending, so now I just want GRRM to put out a couple of well thought out and awesome books, regardless of how long it takes. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kcpasco:
I agree about being pissed off at Martin but his story would still be the best version.
Truest version, perhaps.
Best? Eh, I dunno. The television show has tightened up and improved some areas. Then again, this season has been the HBO Male Emasculation Hour so it may turn out that in the HBO version Westeros is really just the how the Island of Lesbos got started.
By the end of it all males are locked in cages and beholden to the whims of dominant females. The final image before the screen goes to black:
Originally Posted by Hawk:
I'm of a different mindset on GRRM at this point. Take your time and do it right.
These books are immensely long, complicated, detailed, interwoven and subtle. They must be incredibly hard to write. Just think how much has been written and how many theories have been hatched from just these five books.
The show will satisfy my craving for an ending, so now I just want GRRM to put out a couple of well thought out and awesome books, regardless of how long it takes.
{shrug}
About 30% of his last couple of books has been damn near unreadable. If it's convoluted, he's made it that way.
Tip o' the cap to him for 3 strong books that made one hell of a world in which to operate. Sadly, I can't say much more than that about his writing skill in the last decade or so. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Pestilence:
So is this because they're trying to finish the show before Martin releases his new book? Maybe that was a stipulation? I'm not understanding why you would want to have two short seasons with this popular of a show.
They're doing what amc did with mad men and breaking bad. Sell it as two seasons when in reality it's only one slightly longer one cut in half.
And I want Martin to take his time and finish it right. But at the same time I don't want a repeat of Robert Jordan's passing before he finished wheel of time. At the pace GRRM's put the last few books out, he'll need to make it to about 80 to finish... [Reply]
