Kristian Nairn is currently touring his “Rave of Thrones” DJ set. While in Australia yesterday, he spoke to Monique Schafter of ABC, and disclosed some new information about season 5.
Monique Schafter: Fans around the world are hungry for the next series of Game of Thrones, but they’ll have to be patient.
Kristian Nairn: We’re not actually in Season Five, by the way. We have a season off. We have a year’s hiatus.
Monique Schafter: Really?
Kristian Nairn: Solely because, I imagine, our storyline is up to the end of the books. … So I get a year off now to do Rave of Thrones and gallivant all over the world.
Spoiler discussion after the jump.
The town of Toome remains on lockdown, as Game of Thrones continues filming there today. Some readers speculated that a certain effects-heavy scene may be included if green screens were to show up on the riverbanks. Judging by the reflections in the water in the following image, they may get their wish.
Game Of Thrones alert. Bridge at Toome screened off for filming! Security man on guard. Time for a boat I think…. pic.twitter.com/a5f8AkI1bC
— Nicola Weir (@nweir1) September 3, 2014
After previous sightings of Peter Dinklage and Iain Glen together in a blue boat at Toome, many have started to speculate that they may be filming the show’s adaptation of the Sorrows sequence from A Dance with Dragons. This recent (apparent) green screen sighting would seem to back up this speculation. Obviously, nothing is confirmed at this point, but it is worth keeping in mind.
Extras casting continues today in Osuna, Seville. ABC.es reports that despite the hot weather, everything is proceeding as planned and without incident. However, as the quota of men has almost been fulfilled, the production is seeking more female applicants aged between 30 and 60 years old.
Cian: Kristian’s statements are interesting, and surprising if true. Of course, “we” might just mean himself and Ellie Kendrick, with Bran possibly having some (flashback?) scenes alone with the Three-Eyed Raven this season.
Is ‘e ‘avin a laff?
HODOR! Or rather, NO HODOR!
I thought the actor Isaac was quoted saying that his storyline would have more action this year so wishful thinking or it will be without Hodor and Meera. Interesting indeed.
I’m curious what the use of the green screens would be for the Sorrows. Are they planing on compositing in the background of the purported intruders?
It makes some sense if it ends up being Isaac and Struan Rodger only. If not even them, that’s actually more surprising. Obvs we then need some clarification from Isaac as well…but having Hodor hanging around just to say “Hodor” may not be needed this year…
I’ve been looking through Isaac’s recent interviews to hopefully get some clarification on this. This Collider one divulges the most information.
Interestingly enough, in light of Kristian’s comments, it seems Isaac very deftly dodged around the issue of Bran being in season 5. He never explicitly says that he will be.
Cian,
hah. clever lad
Octavia Alexandru (Leaf’s) CV does state that she is in Episode 1 of Season 5, however it states that her episode will be directed by Alex Graves, who we know is not directing in Season 5, so maybe that information is incorrect.
It actually reads as kind of snarky now.
ISAAC: Oh yeah, there’s all kinds of action now instead of AWESOME BRAN SCENES. Boy, sure would be cool to have Bran in a forest again, but I guess if you want a show about men waggling swords at each other, that’s cool, too…
HBO not to happy about those earlier linked spy pics concerning Toome, wonder how much it cost them to place a town on lock down. Furthermore, could the use of a blue boat mean that a barge could be CGI’d in during post.
Can I just say… if we get no Bran this season it’s complete bullshit! D&D are pulling a GRRM! NEVER pull a GRRM!!!
-Bran fan
NODOR??
That’s just not right-we must needs have Hodor!
In this recent interview, Isaac said that he will filming, but it’s not clear when he will.
And what will be your next job?
School [laughs]. In the last few years have been very busy and I have to devote myself seriously. And then I go back to turn of Thrones, for now these are my commitments.
http://movieplayer.it/articoli/boxtrolls-isaac-hempstead-wright-si-racconta-a-venezia-2014_13174/
jentario,
Yes, it would be terrible. There are only 30 episodes left. Why would they want to “ignore” Bran’s story for all of S5? I think that he will have a major impact on the story in TWOW and beyond.
Does no Hodor mean no Meera?
Wow very surprising news
Dany,
I was looking for that interview. I remembered there was something else other than that “more action” interview.
I agree. A GoT season without a “Hodor” doesn’t feel right….
Wow, it occurred to me as a possibility that there might not be any Bran in season 5 last weekish (or at least,
. If this saves on budget, sorry folks, I’m voting yes on this one.
I think we need some time away from Bran so that when he
I STILL can’t get spoilers to work no matter what the browser, but since this is really just my speculation, I think it’s OK…
Wait! It works! Go super-old internet explorer!
Shoulda had a break in season 4, come back in season with their season 4 material *change the crasters scene to something else, perhap encounter with wildings instead and meet BR in ep 10 s5
Wow. I wasn’t expecting this, even if it does make a certain amount of sense. As much as we all love Hodor, his primary function relative to the plot in the story has been to help ferry Bran from place to place. Now that Bran is likely to remaining in one location for a while, it makes sense that Hodor would fade to the background a bit. If Bran isn’t warging in to him or relying on him for transport, then the only real way that he could merit screentime would be for comic relief, and there’s only so much of that he can provide with his limited vocabulary.
It’s the “we” that Kristian references that peaked my interest in a worrying way. I can’t imagine that reference is meant to extend to Isaac, because Isaac himself has made references to his Season 5 storyline – besides the “more action” quote, there’s the interview that Dany linked to, which seems more definitive. More to the point, I simply can’t see the show dropping Bran for a year – he’s already become a tertiary character in the minds of many Unsullied viewers, and being absent for a year certainly wouldn’t help in that respect. Limiting his appearances so that he’s only in 3 or 4 episodes? Sure. Keeping him out of Season 5 entirely? That’s an issue.
Therefore, the “we” that Kristian is referring to is likely a reference to Ellie Kendrick, which is a shame. I had speculated (and to be honest, quite hoped) that the show would use Meera as a kind of touchstone for Bran this season. As his last remaining human connection (other than Hodor, whom we’ve discussed), I thought that she could express concerns that he might be slipping away, and that we could see her struggling to come to terms with her place in the world now that her brother, whose protection she long viewed as her guiding purpose, was dead*. I thought that the show might even start to explore Bran’s growing feelings for Meera, which haven’t really been referenced on the show so far, as a way to keep his story from dipping completely into mystical territory.
Instead, it looks like the show will be fully committing to that material – which is exciting in many respects! But I do hope that they find a way to keep Bran somewhat connected to other characters, or he’ll feel even more like he’s off on his own island than he has for the past two years. And it would be a shame not to see Ellie and Kristian on the show for a year. I think that they’ve always done extremely well with their limited screentime.
*It’s worth noting that if the Reeds were going to sit Season 5 out, it makes even more sense that the writers decided to kill Jojen early.
I honestly wouldnt be too upset if they left Bran and co out of Season 5. They have a lot to include and plenty of main characters as well as new characters, locations and storylines.
Certain characters should have a lot of screentime for Season 5 (Arya, Jon and Cersei and maybe Theon)
Tyrion and Dany will always have a lot of screentime (even though they dont really need it at times)
Dorne will also need a decent amount of screentime so it makes sense to lesson screentime for certain characters or simply leave them out
I would much rather they left Bran out for a season instead of just having one or two random scenes. Then, he could be one of the more heavily featured characters for Season 6 (I also think Sansa should only appear in a few episodes next season. She was heavily featured in season 4 so they should give screentime to others)
If the Bran storyline does turn out to focus on visions or flashbacks, then the actual presence of Hodor and Meera is unecessary, and even Bran and the TEC need only have short conversations introducing and reacting to the visions or flashbacks.
Welp. That’s a frustrating news. Who thought it’s a good idea to leave out Bran for a season, after the point where they left his storyline in last season.
I still hope that Bran will be in season 5 without Hodor.
If not, I guess my interest in watching the next season will be even lower now.
Dany,
I can’t read the Italian to know for sure, but could that just be a reference to his need to eventually return for season 6?
Afeastfordances,
That’s what I was talking about. He did not say when he’ll shooting.
At first glance it seems shocking, but after thinking about the news that Season 5 will be Hodor-less I think it makes sense. Bran will be training with the 3-Eyed Crow and will not need to be carried around.
The Toome bridge really is looking like it will be the Sorrows isn’t it?
I’m pretty excited about this as it gives us an idea of Jorah’s and Tyrion’s seasonal arc. Plus, I for one will not miss the characters that will be cut from book-Tyrion’s arc.
He might be only referring to the last couple years in that sentence, not this year specifically. And the interview’s in Italian, so there may be some error in the words.
These are important points. For many viewers – even Sullied ones – Bran’s story has seemed disconnected from the rest of the action. Eliminating him from an entire season could be disastrous. If it is just Isaac and Struan in S5, I will hate to see Ellie Kendrick’s role diminished further. I love Meera and agree that she is a human connection for Bran…one that reminds him of his family and the North and who he is.
If Hodor is out of S5 then I guess that Meera is as well.
If varys isnt with tyrion where is he? Also any word on illyrio returning?
I am completely fine with this…. although it does give me a bit of a concern about something else…
Sansa.
As we know her show character is caught up with her book character. So if they are holding things back a bit on Bran, to me that means Sansa will be given an arc this season like Crasters or YarAsha last season… making sure we know she is still around, but will basically just be a giant diversion with no real plot development. At least she has room for character development though.
Greatjon of Slumber,
NODOR
My first reaction is like… (see Grey Worm with toaster).
A little-known fact about the books: When GRRM was writing AFFC as one book with every POV (before the split), he was going to leave Bran out of the book “entirely.” So if D&D are having Bran disappear for a while, that’s actually consistent with GRRM’s initial intentions.
Canis Dirus,
Yeah, I’m feeling like they’re maybe going to tie Sansa up in a created plot involving Brienne as well for at least a chunk of the season. Keep either of then from getting too far ahead. That would save them from having to dip into more than a chapter or two of her Winds material, similar to where Arya will be.
Unbowed Unbent Unhodor,
My guess…
Edit: Nvm couldn’t figure out spoiler tags… Im an idiot.
Canis Dirus,
Sansa was heavily featured in season 4 and appeared in more episodes than most of the main cast so i think she should have screentime similar to Arya last season, where she is in every other episode (and Arya should be in the Sansa spot this season, featuring in 8-9 episodes)
I’ve been somewhat concerned about the direction of the show in these final 3 seasons. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking crazy like some purists. Not like that. Just curious and anxious on how they are planning to wrap this up in only 30 more episodes now that they have used probably somewhere around 70-80% of the existing source material.
This bit of news doesn’t make me feel any better. I am hoping it’s just Hodor and maybe Meera and not Bran, and he was just mistaken about that. Otherwise it’s head scratching to say the least to have only 30 episodes left and decide to omit Bran from 10 of them.
Walter Harrow,
I’m completely fine with that…. I’m more worried that they will be making up meaningless content for her this season.
Walter Harrow,
She was in 7 episodes during the season; Arya was in 6. In both cases it felt right for the plot involved. And I don’t really want Sansa to take a back seat just “because,” though clearly her plot will be a bit less of a big deal than Jon Snow/Cersei/Dany/Tyrion/Arya.
Too many unknown factors here. No Hodor and even no Meera makes some sense. To leave out Bran after the season-ender that suggested some interesting new things does not, and I doubt they’ll go that way. But again, we don’t really know.
So no Bran storyline this coming season?
Good move. If only they had done the same with Alfie Allen in Season 3.
This news (surprisingly) doesn’t bother me too much. Of course, I dislike when characters are left out of seasons entirely, but D&D do know Bran’s endgame and I do not. If it’s a choice between saving his final plot for the final seasons or rushing plot disproportionately (or even worse, suffering through filler that could be better devoted to other plot points they’d otherwise run out of time for), I can be patient for a season.
I’ve heard this suggested before, and it makes no sense to me. Would you have ditched Theon/Ramsay entirely? Had Theon stay unconscious for a full season after being knocked out at Winterfell but before encountering Ramsay? Or just have him show up as Reek in season four and explain everything through exposition?
And I heard it first on WatchersOnTheWall.com
This move makes me wish they had left Bran and Co. out of season 4. Having him meet BR in the finale and not showing him in season 5 is a letdown. I was hoping to see some flashbacks/weirnet scenes. I don’t see why Bran couldn’t appear in an episode or two. Yara has appeared in a single episode each of the past 2 seasons. At the very least, Bran should get the same treatment.
Remember, D&D know much more about the endgame than the rest of us. So if Bran & Co. sit out for a season that means they just don’t have 3 seasons worth of material left in the endgame.
There’s an odd tendency for fans to think, “Oh, but so-and-so are so important to the endgame!” But we simply don’t know, while D&D do.
I don’t believe that Bran will be having flashbacks until
Sean Bean returns.Oddly enough, it may be accurate. I know they have some extra material from Bran’s story line which was not included in season 4, but will be included in season 5. So even though Alex Graves is not directing s5e1, he may have been the director for those scenes.
I think it’s obvious Christian was joking…Hodor!
On a different matter, I have no idea whether this has been reported already, but I am happy to announce that
will be returning for season 5. Also, the merman has been spotted!
This may or may not prove important:
there are no characters this season having a Tyroshi hairstyle. I have no further info on this… In my humble opinion it means absolutely nothing for theplot in question, but you may reach a different conclusion.
I know I know I know…
I was thinking, could Bran have some dreams? In dreams, we don’t need Hodor.
Patchface,
Wow! I sort of expected
I’m wondering if…
Maybe it’s because the white walker storyline fizzles out in the rest of the source material available,
Anyway Bran and the children of the Forest can’t really advance plotwise if the white walkers aren’t
Patchface,
Will Kevan be recast or will Ian Gelder return?
Lion of Night,
The Tyroshi hair style was a reference to
Lion of Night,
You misunderstood me. Daario is expected to return to season 5, but he is not depicted in the TV series as a typical Tyroshi. The info could raise speculation for the G and YG plot, but again they may chose to include them without the blue hair. Cheers!
Hermann,
Same actor.
For shame!
They don’t really need Hodor, or sadly, Meera this season. Ok. But to end the Bran (and co.) storyline like that last season and not pick it up right away is a terrible idea, IMO. What a clusterfuck!
I was really looking forward to the parallels in the “training” of the remaining Stark children- Bran, Sansa, and Arya all going through various trainings with different “masters” seemed like a perfect opportunity to mirror each other and progress the story.
Fuck. This is lame. Dog lame! Total bummer man. I hope I’m not jumping to conclusions.
OtherAndrew,
NEVER pull a GRRM, never never NEVER!
Mormont,
Patchface,
This is great to hear!
If you are correct then this is more evidence that the leaked script summary for episode 1 could be real.
Patchface,
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Whoops! Thanks hah
Patchface,
This is good news, indeed
Re the Tyroshi haristyle thing, I always figured that if the show wanted to do that aspect they could just have the hair dyed black, especially because eye color isn’t an issue in the show.
Given the fact that D&D have completely eliminated some of the odder stylistic flourishes – the purple Targaryen eyes, the forked blue beard of Daario (I mean, good grief), some of the other nonsense, if you are referring specifically to the *hair* only, well, that’s consistent with what we have seen already on the show.
Dude, let’s ease off. We don’t know that yet, particularly when you’re talking about Bran. Hodor and Meera make sense on some levels. But you’re jumping to conclusions. Until Isaac says it definitively, we don’t know the answer.
What do you mean, just the sigil?
(And the reason they haven’t announced the character yet is obvious:
A tweet regarding smoke rising from GoT’s Toome shooting.
To Cian, SuetheFury and everyone else,
There was some report on this site I believe (I don’t remember exactly where) that a certain scene takes place at a brothel IN Volantis. Is it confirmed it takes place inside the city? My sources seem to indicate that Volantis will not be featured in season 5, maybe by verbal reference, but not as a location where the action takes place. Also, in the books the scene in question takes place in a city NEARBY Volantis, which seems to support the info I have. Could you please clarify? Many thanks…cheers!
Maxwell James,
This isn’t the same. Bran still has source material left. Surely enough for about three episodes worth of short scenes (especially if they use some material from unpublished books). After the huge tease in season 4, a follow up is expected. You can’t just drop one of the main characters in the show for a whole season after that ending! Having him disappear after ASOS is somewhat aggravating, but Bran doesn’t end on such a high note- going down into the Black Gate to meet Coldhands beyond the Wall. If it’s true that Bran is sitting out season 5, this is downright bad.
Since when has the show given a fig about passing the books? Didn’t we already get a couple of spoilers in season 4? And what about season 6- will EVERYONE miss out on season 6 because of spoilers? Spoil Bran god damnit- do what GRRM can’t do, don’t hold back!
I didn’t expect him to be in 10 episodes or anything, but none? Come on. Come on…
Not good at all. They better cast Manderly now, or I’ll shave Benioff’s mutton chops in his sleep.
Morgan, What leaked summary are you referring to?
Greenjones,
So it’s almost definitely the Sorrows (smoke=fog effect=creepy scene). At least we’ve got that… *sigh*
OtherAndrew,
It’s something on facebook that reeks of being fake.
Patchface,
Thanks! Great to hear!
As far as the Tyroshi hair…
jentario,
Jeez, we’re starting this stuff way too early. Chill man, chill! We know nothing, not enough to jump to conclusions. No Hodor at least makes some sense, and even no Meera. We don’t know that they’d clip out Bran altogether. We just don’t.
OtherAndrew,
https://www.facebook.com/Stannisswagatheon/posts/814624378577731?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2FStannisswagatheon%2Fposts%2F814624378577
Patchface,
Can’t figure out if you’re bullshitting, but I’ll play along. Thanks for the info if it’s real, Patch.
mariamb,
Myself I would enjoy seeing another Roger Allam appearance. I don’t know that it will happen, but it would be cool. Hell, I’m still hoping for Mord, the gaelor in the Eyrie, but I know that ship has sailed. 🙂
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Just so people don’t believe this outright, there is very little “new info” in this supposed leak. Most of it is conjecture from things we already know and have been reported on this very site. Too often people pass off their spec as a leak and I think this is definitely the case here.
jentario,
He knew the stuff about them filming part of the walk on an island before anyone else did.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Fuck that, Bran should be in three episodes (the Reek treatment). No more, no less. There is enough in his one remaining chapter for that, especially if they expand on it and take the opportunity to explore exposition all info that they have been delaying till now (such as the Tower of Joy). A lot of missed opportunities.
I don’t think there is nearly enough concrete information to conclude Bran will not be appearing in Season 5.
Possibly. But that likely depends on the nature of her TWOW material. They could adapt some early part of it that doesn’t put her story out of sync with everyone else, if that’s possible, whereas with Bran’s it may not be.
jentario,
I think we’ll get some Bran. At the very least
Greenjones,
I agree. Some of it could have been guessed by anyone. What tips me off that it is a fake is how he mentions that there is
Tyrion Pimpslap,
I know but there are still some off things. He gave us info about season 6 castings- no one should know about that except for the writers and maybe their assistants this early on. Also, I don’t think we’ll ever see Kevan and Lancel again (though I hope I’m wrong). I’m still 50/50 on Patchface.
jentario,
They won’t show the Tower Of Joy until they are ready to reveal
Maybe I am reading your message wrong, but I am not particularly thrilled by being called a “liar” by implication, even on a rumor board. I have better things to do than just make up stuff for the sake of it. Anyway, believe what you want…
Skip Theon and Ramsay entirely in season 3 and have the exact same season 4. Fans would put two and two together without the need for any exposition.
Greatjon of Slumber,
Tyrion Pimpslap,
jentario,
Lancel is needed, especially for
Greatjon of Slumber,
Well, IF there’s no Bran in season 5- refer to my reaction.
mariamb,
In 407 Dany did send Hizdahr with Daario, so presumably they will return at some point in s5. It doesn’t take a “leak” to guess that. Like I said, it provides no information that couldn’t have been surmised from what we already know about s5 production.
jentario,
I will store this in the vault and release it if that happens, sort of like a ‘howler’ letter received in the Harry Potter novels.
I don’t agree. But I agree it wasn’t handled as deftly as it could have been. 3-4 episodes would have been enough (similar to season 4, where they did a nice job with it).
Patchface,
I think I believe you, problem is that a lot of people make things up (it’s weird, I know). I’m not calling you a liar, you know what you are (and I don’t). You seem rather legit.
Patchface,
Interesting. Other characters I’d be interested to know if they’re returning: any of the Riverlands characters, Brotherhood, Blackfish, Freys, etc, Yara, and Greatjon. Also if Sam is going to Braavos, since he hasn’t been spotted in Croatia yet, as far as I know.
mariamb,
I have reported earlier that the Manderlys are in but I’m not sure whether they will play a big part.
Patchface,
Where did you say this? Other than noting the sigil?
(And really, they don’t need to play a big part. They can be in 2 episodes and it’ll be enough. In fact, if we get the
)
Greenjones,
Thanks! I completely missed that.
Patchface,
Thanks for confirming.
Interesting. I do hope that there are some Bran scenes. I’m going to miss Hodor.
It is very exciting that we appear to be getting The Sorrows. I also want to hope that there’s a lockdown because they’re filming
but that’s probably expecting too much.
that’s disappointing. .. after where his story ended last season the audience needs some payoff. Also having bran but not Hodor or Meera is going to feel extremely cheap, as if bran is never going to want to interact or mention them. Like when sitcoms have characters disappeare and return without explanation. I know the show doesn’t have the infinite budget to include everyone but I feel like the show is making cut after cut because of budget. I’m still waiting for Greatjons return dammit >:(
I very much hope you are correct. The Manderlys are what I want more than anything in season 5.
WeirwoodTreeHugger,
We have the same hope as to why the set sounds so very, very locked down!
I hope this doesn’t mean that Isaac will be recast.
He has brought too much to the chatacter, without him it’ll never be the same.
No, I don’t think that would have worked. I think oeople would be confused and frustrated that the transition didn’t happen on screen. Plus, the Reek stuff in Season 4 is comoelling partly because we’ve seen why he is the way he is.
I think the problem with the torture scenes in the latter half of season 3 had more to do with execution than their existence. Ramsay was too cartoony, the mystery surrounding “boy” was more annoying than interesting, and the scenes themselves were too frequent and loooooong. I think if the chase scene in “Walk of Punishment” was moved back and treated as a climax, we wouldn’t be talking about dropping Theon entirely from Season 3.
Afeastfordances,
I only have limited info, I am not involved with the GoT in any way. Some of my sources are
tangentiallyconnected with the larger “production“- in its extensive meaning… That’s really all I can say about it.Re: Bran
He will be in season 5, but some of the scenes have already been shot, leftover from season 4. I think any other additional scenes involving Bran & Hodor will be shot inside a studio, so it will be tough to get any info…perhaps that the reason Christian was saying those things…
Re: Griffs
I do not have any specific info, but if I were to guess they will not be in season 5. I mentioned earlier there was a rumor (just that a rumor, unconfirmed & unreliable, word of mouth) that Septa Lemore was being considered for casting. So, that’s that…
One last thing, while the script for season 6 has not yet been completed, there are some parts that are already been written. They are already scouting locations for next season as well, as I reported earlier.
WeirwoodTreeHugger,
I don’t think that’s expecting too much. It is my hope, too.
About a week ago, on a different thread on this site…I posted some other info as well, I’m too lazy to look for it or rewrite it…lol
It makes sense. Great news!! Obviously bran has a big part towards the end so let’s save that for later to keep the momentum going and D&D knows more when GRRM finishes some writing. I don’t see how anyone can be upset about it. There’s plenty of other stuff happening all across westeros.
Patchface,
Where do you get your information?
Do you know if any other characters from Arya’s story have been spotted filming (or if they have even been cast). Im hoping we get to see Arya meet a bunch of characters (including the waif) instead of just having her speak with Jaqen and no one else during her time in Braavos
See my previous post about my sources.
Just FYI, there are several scenes with Arya and the waif, one was already shot outside the HBW, they were spotted wearing some similar white attire…
Please don’t forget about my own query! I would greatly appreciate an answer, from anyone…
Dammit Bran, you told him to stop Hodoring and now he’s sailed off to Australia!
I tend to believe it was more about frequency than anything else. If he’d been limited to 3-4 episodes, even including the castration scene, I think it would work better.
Patchface,
Thanks 🙂
Do you have any other info on Arya’s storyline this season? I dont know how much info you get but do you have if Arya has a lot to do next season? I just want to know if they are actually going to have her do certain ‘tasks’ such as spying and learning how to lie
Patchface,
Nuts, I can’t find it, and I went back 15 posts. Was the basic jist of it that yes, we’ll be seeing a certain merman this year in some form or another?
Anything on the Greyjoys? Either this season or possible season 6 news?
Bobby,
Not more than what I already reported some time ago. Apart from the scenes with the waif, there will be the TWOW Mercy chapter (which was subsequently confirmed by photos a few days after my report) and there will be at least one more unreleased chapter from TWOW.
I expect (no actual info) that there will be other scenes with the kindly man inside the HBW…
Patchface,
Patchface, just curious have you heard any news for casting for Taena Merryweather, the Kettleblacks, Aurane Waters, Fake Arya and Euron Greyjoy?? Would really appreciate it if you could tell or find some info about any of these characters being cast.
No Bran next season would be a godsend. It won’t happen though, D & D have no restraint what so ever and are rushing for the finish line.
Patchface,
What’s this extra season 4 material they have?
Greatjon of Slumber,
Dang, it’s been so long? I remember posting stuff in the article about Dioclatian palace, RodeoFX, Antrium, TMZ report among other places. Anyway, the gist of it is that the Manderlys are in, I have no info on the actual characters or actors being cast, just that their sigil, banners and other identifiable insignia … erm… have received interest in one way or another… from my older reports, lady lance was discussed for season 6 and scouting at a franciscan monastery near Dubrovnik that was recently renovated and has a large tree in front. I also posted some details about the itinerary of the infamous penance walk (svetog dominika street from the archway to the bridge, which is at the end of the stradun on the opposite side of the main entrance, toward the port…)
Patchface,
Nice! Good stuff. (Taking it all with a grain of salt/waiting patiently type stuff of course.)
But that’s all I care about, and as I said, the reason we haven’t heard about actual casting on that front is because the casting people are still trying to get their hearing back after having a half-hour conference call with BRIAN BLESSED.
aurane waters,
Nothing specific yet. All I can say is that there are unnamed “ironborn reaver” designations in reference to casting, but that does not say anything…
I’ve been of the opinion for a while that if/when Manderly was announced, he would be one of those ‘Froggy” posts on Martin’s site. Ditto probably for any Greyjoy uncle casting.
Now it could be that there will be done of these for this season (because none of these characters will be cast), but I have to hold out hope that one or more Froggy posts is coming.
So you should. Use salt and seasoning on everything you digest. Cracked pepper from Volantis, nothing finer!
For Lord-too-fat-to-sit-a-horse, I would like to see the actor from Rome who played the city announcer (Ian something), but that’s just me. Rome was my favorite show ever!
Patchface,
Ian McNeice for Wyman Manderly
Yeah, that’s the name. Tx! He would be perfect IMO…well, let’s see what Nina Gold finds…
Quite happy to have little to no Bran this season. Kinda hope they go the same way with Sansa and Brienne (if they’re not going to backtrack and flesh out her character like they should have done last season) as they’re in the right position and would stop them getting too far ahead whilst other characters get onto the same timeframe. Viewer aren’t stupid. They’re not going to forget characters after one season of not seeing them. I’d rather they spend the time on other storylines and new characters although if they don’t include some I fear cut now then I’m going to be a bit annoyed as they surely will have freed up enough space by giving these characters so few scenes. As always, we shall wait and see.
Elio Garcia for Wyman Manderly.
I would be incredibly happy if you are telling the truth, Patch!
Patchface,
Interesting as Victarion has a chapter in AFFC called ‘The Reaver’. I’m reaching as I really want the Greyjoy uncles in it but I guess we shall see.
I’d also like to add my support to the Brian Blessed as Manderly campaign. I can’t think of the character without Brian popping into my head! Come on Nina make it happen! 😛
Al Swearengen,
Elio Garcia for Sweets, GRRM for Yezzan
Greatjon of Slumber,
Older people in India and elsewhere in Central Asia often dye their hair and beards red, and sometimes blue. There’s nothing particularly odd about it, particularly in Essos.
How is this good news? There are lots and lots of viewers who are deeply curious about Bran’s storyline. Leaving it out entirely is a very major problem, IMO.
I also think it is the one storyline that adds a bit of existential/ wonder of the unknown/ primordial heart to the otherwise nihilistic and mundane proceedings. It’s a refresher, so to speak. A tonic. I would hate to see it go for an entire season, and think it will unbalance the show.
There’s only so much incessant, soap-style politicking a viewer can endure before needing to cleanse. Bran’s storyline does that.
I’m not book purist, but I also think there’s a pretty good chance the quality slips.
So far, D&D have been great a dialogue, hitting the “big scenes”, maintaining the feel and essence of most of the series and characters despite having to cut. They’ve also been great at creating original scenes that are either “Cool scenes that are convenient” (Hound/Brienne, Tywin/Arya) or scenes between non-POV characters (Margaery’s stuff has been great, for example).
They’ve also been tremendous as producers — the production quality above and beyond the writing has been tremendous.
They’ve struggled with very large changes and completely manufactured storylines. The Karl storyline wasn’t awful, but it held little import, and the “who stole my dragons” storyline was awful. They’ve also struggled to my mind to find the little moments at times, they often miss the point of decision for a character and they really don’t lead up well to climaxes.
Given the level of difficulty, overall, pretty incredible.
That said, with the obvious compression of plotlines and timelines; the lack of clearly delineated plotlines from Martin … let’s just say that if the TV version ends with a higher % of where are my dragons, we may have an issue.
ArgonathofBraavos,
My point was more that the show has decided to move away from most stylistic choices that would probably be a mild distraction.
We don’t know that it is gone. But it is entirely possible that there isn’t enough or any material for Hodor this year. Right?
Laura,
Patchface said before that he isn’t sure but that it looks like Stoneheart’s cut
Greatjon of Slumber,
Maybe they only have one Bran scene near the end as half of a surprise moment and it’s just him and the Raven?
Another Toome tweet. Apparently some stunt men were shooting…
Stunt men…stone men?
Huh… Now there is something no one expected. It’s really weird. On one hand I can’t bring myself to believe they would cut out Bran entirely, but on the other hand, if Kristian is telling the truth, it would be strange for Bran to appear without Hodor and Meera.
I guess we’ll see. The way their storyline ended was pretty much a cliffhanger so it would make sense to at least introduce Bran’s new “friend”? Maybe they filmed something already last year?
jentario,
Stoneheart will be replaced by Oona, as a bonus she will be cradling a mini zombie fetus in her arms, muhaha.
Greenjones,
I love how it’s looking more and more likely. We can also see the same blue ship in that photo and what seems like Peter Dinklage.
The way they managed to transform a green screen into the Lands of Always Winter in season 4 makes me hopeful that this scene will look great.
ToJ baby, ToJ is coming!
tyjon,
Baby Stoneheart. He don’t speak, but he cries all the time. He laughs when we hang Freys though.
Patchface,
The casting breakdown says that the brothel is in Volantis.
He’s out of S5 completely? While this news doesn’t particularly upset me (although…I’m now wondering about Bran. I DO want to see Bran in S5)….I’m confused. Didn’t he post a picture on Twitter of himself, Sophie, Finn Jones and Daniel Portman saying he was on set?
Regarding the Bran and Hodor news, I hope that for once, this means that scenes filmed last season will be shown in this one (hopefully in the nature of visions).
Sad to hear though otherwise, as Hodor is one of my favorite characters.
http://ign.com/articles/2014/09/03/game-of-thrones-major-characters-not-appearing-in-season-5
IGN reporting on this now? What is going on?
Jack Bauer 24,
We don’t know, but IGN is basing their information on the same interview.
The Sorrows is pretty much confirmed in this quote here:
http://highlighthollywood.com/2014/09/exclusive-game-of-thrones-season-5-plumes-of-smoke-seen-from-white-river-hotel-toome-filming-all-day-highlight-hollywood-news/
Whoa!
…but all things considered, not surprising.
Consider, guys: 1) Bran’s story is caught up, for all intents and purposes. 2) There were no Bran chapters in the last two thirds of ADWD, suggesting Bran’s overall storyline in the 7 books is thinner than the other characters’ (and how much can he do now that he’s got there, anyway?). 3) Season 5 is going to be PACKED with storylines, even if they get rid of tons of stuff from books 4 and 5, in order to fit both books (and presumably some good stuff from The Winds of Winter) into one season.
And 4) following on 3, if they were going to postpone a certain character’s storyline for an entire season, it may as well be Bran, since overall casual viewers tend to find his scenes the least exciting, usually — in my experience, anyway.
And 5) it makes for better storytelling than including him only one or two scenes this year, without giving him a full arc.
A lot of people will be mad about this but it makes a lot of sense all things considered.
Another smart move by D&D. Get rid of your weakest link for one season. They werent kidding when they said this will be the best season yet.
jentario,
I don’t know that that confirms The Sorrows necessarily. The thing that throws me is their hint ‘all men must die’ which maybe suggests a major death scene (one we don’t know about?) or maybe a scene with a lot of death in it, like a battle scene (might explain the smoke).
Mine is the Furry,
Just like that smart move to give Asha more scenes…………
James Hibberd confirmed that there will be no Bran, Meera, or Hodoe in season 5.
Al Swearengen,
Who’s Asha?
Morgan,
How do you all think they’ll handle the WF weirwood then?
Patchface,
If this scoop is legit, that’s AWESOME. Very, very glad to hear about those three characters returning (the ones we didn’t already know were returning) – three more Oz can cross off his list. And I’m SUPER SUPER excited about the ‘sigil.’
I heard that D&D originally wrote 6 episodes with Bran in them for season 5:
Episode one: Bran gets thirsty. Cue rain.
Episode three: Bran has a hard time sleeping upright.
Episode four: Bran freaks out when he hears that a group of lumberjacks moved in next door.
Episode six: Bran again is thirsty.
Episode nine: Bran attempts to procreate by dropping his “seed”
Episode ten: Bran discovers that if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, then no one gives a fuck.
Morgan,
Hibberd says that HBO had no comment, so I’m not clear on whether he’s just repeating Nairn’s interview or if he has some other confirmation of it.
Sean C.,
Ok good. So it’s just another repost posing as an article.
outdoorcats,
To me, it just looked like they were just reeling off quotes associated with the show. The hint pretty much alludes to the fact someone dies. I’d wager some of the Stone Men get it. If I was going to wildly speculate on the smoke….
Hibbard is pretty close to the show. Pretty much all of the season 4 casting announcements came through him. HBO may have no comment officially, but if he’s saying it then it’s prooooobably true.
Greenjones,
I’m really not sure. I hope it stays in somehow. They could always just do voice recording and not actually show him but who knows. Maybe some of the previously recorded footage is part of that. I think Hibberd posting about it means he isn’t filming this year but that doesn’t he may not know if they are using old footage or not.
Here’s the article if you want to look at it. http://wp.me/p16MZW-LEc
Sean C.,
No comment’s weird though. Why not confirm that a starring member is back, if he is. This really does seem to point out we won’t be seeing them.
Morgan,
Do you mean this post? He isn’t confirming anything here, he is just reporting what Kristian Nairn said and draws conclusions from it. Not saying it it isn’t true, but James Hibberd might be jumping the gun a bit. 😉
Sean C.,
Yeah, I saw that but I feel like he wouldn’t have posted it if he wasn’t sure of the validity. He’s pretty much HBO’s official news outlet.
Dutch maester,
He tweeted, “Yup, Bran Stark not expected in Games of Thrones Season 5” and included the link. That’s why I took it as confirmation.
Ah, no Bran Stark, but maybe possibly Isaac? It IS about time for a Mountain recast, and Isaac IS almost 6 feet tall and growing…
I wish D & D had the balls to do this in earlier seasons when it came it Theon.
Now that I remember someone on reddit who claimed to know Isaac said he won’t be in season 5. I know it can’t be taken as a reliable source but who knows.
Also keep in mind that in past seasons Hibberd’s had access to the set to perform on-set interviews. He’s probably the best confirmation you’re going to get.
I’m kinda worried about Theon’s storyline now…
I may be voicing a minority opinion here but I’m not thrilled that Bran may be skipping S5. Granted…there are problems with his storyline, both in the show and in the books.
Bran spends a lot of time doing nothing significant until the finale of S4. He finally gets to the 3EC (or 3ER, whatever) to learn his purpose and now D&D decide not to include him in S5. I understand that storylines need to be compressed but to this extent? As it exists to date, Bran’s arc isn’t especially engaging. Skipping a season will not help. Are viewers going to care what happens to him by the time S6 rolls around?
I’m so sad.
do we have an official news by now ? only hodor or all the party ? ):
mariamb,
I am baffled that this is a minority opinion. Why are most ASOIAF and GOT fans happy that Bran may not be in season 5?
His is not the most politically or emotionally complex storyline in the show, but that’s partly the point. His story is like a straight razor, or a cool drink of water. It has a purity to it that is a welcome relief from the mud, blood, guts and backstabbing of King’s Landing, Stannis-land and Meereen.
This is the first time I have been seriously distressed by a decision (still not confirmed) by D&D.
How can they put this storyline on hold until Season 6? That’ll be 2 years for Bran and company.
ArgonathofBraavos,
Yeah. All their decisions, even though I didn’t like (no LS, no Tysha revelation) , not bother me. But now, it left me so devastated.
ArgonathofBraavos,
I know don’t that most fans are happy about this news. Opinion is certainly divided and that’s fine. Everyone is entitled to their preferences. I was truly looking forward to Bran’s role now that he has arrived at his destination. I’m not sure that you can put this storyline on hold without losing momentum.
Dany,
Imagine the misery of all those who finished ASoS and then had to wait ten some odd years to read about Tyrion and Jon and Dany again.
Wow. If they are filming The Sorrows now with Iain and Peter, this means no Griffs, at least for this season (Though, I doubt they will appear later).
Mine is the Furry,
True.
Patchface,
Patchface,
What is your guess about Lady Stoneheart and Blackfish appearing in season 5?
Some one upthread had it right, D&D are pulling a GRRM and ignoring Bran for a while. He only had 3 POV chapters in the last two books combined. As I said earlier, I don’t have a problem with Bran and crew going on hiatus, but it would have made more sense to do it in season 4.
than they should have included the vision and the teaching scene from adwd to s04 instead on leaving him after finally meeting the 3ER on the “but you will fly” cliffhanger
by the way do you know there are some unsullied fans who still think that by “but you will fly ” he will really gonna have wings or superman`s flying suite and fly and waiting for s05 to see his “flying scene”
Agreed, Abyss.
I kind of wish this was the type of place where something like an avatar bet would be possible (yes, I’m showing my background of posting on sports message boards). I’d bet all these folks who are convinced we won’t see Bran at all in Season 5. If I won, they’d all have to sport silly avatars, and if they won, I’d be stuck sporting a long string of avatars I didn’t want to sport, and people could ridicule me. 🙂
Laura,
THIS.
Hmmm…my comment is awaiting moderation.
My earlier responses never showed up, so trying again.
I would have handled it as the books did – leaving Theon’s fate a mystery until the character of Reek is introduced. For that matter, I never would have cut Reek in S2 – both Theon and Bran’s stories were the poorer for it. The idea that this would be confusing to Unsullied viewers considerably underestimates their intelligence.
No one is suggesting that his storyline be cut for the rest of the series. I find it odd that so many people are bothered by the possibility of this character or that not being in the series for 10 episodes or so. The seasons are really short! And it’s OK to let someone’s fate be mysterious for a while. In drama, that’s what’s known as “creating suspense.”
So does this mean we have to stop using Hodor as the first comment. Not that I’m ever going to be fast enough with the timezone difference.
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
Pardon my ignorance, but what in seven hells does “sporting an avatar” mean? 【・_・?】
As do I. They didn’t do it when Arya saw Cat’s body since they weren’t going to do LS but now there’s no reason why they shouldn’t. They can parallel it with Jon warging as well.
FunnyShae,
I believe Cogman has said that Bran is the only one who would have wolf dreams/warg on the show. Why? I’m not sure. It seems like it will be important moving forward,
Tyrion Pimpslap,
They said that only Bran will dream. Of course they had Sansa dream in s2 and will likely have Cersei dream for the cold open of s5 (which was speculation on here and AFOIAF long before that fake facebook “leak”)…but for the most part that is the rule they set. I’m sure there will be other wargs in the family other than Bran though.
But the time between seasons is long. If this is true, Bran will be MIA for two years in real-time.
As for “creating suspense”, maybe, but audience interest in Bran’s story has withered almost to non-existence at this point, anecdotally. I’m not convinced that he’ll be missed enough for it to generate much suspense.
Patchface,
Keep it up Patchface, every thread I look for your comments!
https://twitter.com/kecahumo/status/507391455740956672
ArgonathofBraavos,
I wouldn’t exactly say I’m happy that Bran might not be in season 5, but I can understand why they might choose to do that, and if it gives them the time they need to flesh out the other stories, I think it’s the right decision. They seem pretty committed to finishing in 7 seasons at this point, so time is pretty tight.
Obviously, I don’t know what plot threads will be most critical to the end game, but I’ve been thinking about how they could get most of the major plot points (simplifying story lines rather than cutting them completely) in a very compressed time frame, and my current thinking is this:
The conquest of the Shield Islands could be completely off screen, and just reported to Cersei by the Tyrells, who want to send their fleet home to defend their lands, which Cersei would refuse. Samwell’s arc could end with him approaching/arriving at Oldtown, but before visiting the Citadel, possibly with some shipwrecks or distant hostile ships spotted along the way to show that the Ironborn have been raiding near Oldtown. Victarion could be cut, since it was noted last season that Daenerys already has ships.
Basically, the entire AFFC Ironborn plotline could be condensed into Balon’s death scene, a conversation between Tyrells & Cersei, and Sam arriving in Oldtown, with no new major characters cast until season 6, and still have everything basically set up for whatever is going to happen with that plot line in books 6 & 7, when it may (hopefully) start to intersect more with Sam, Gilly and Jaqen’s story.
I’m very happy to hear these leaks about Manderly appearances, and the return of Jaqen, Gendry, Kevan and Lancel. I’m a bit nervous that we haven’t heard anything about Samwell in Braavos yet, but I’m still hopeful that they’ll keep that story basically as it was in the books, since Aemon’s death and Sam leaving the Wall to study at the Citadel seems like it has to be leading somewhere, the journey is important to Sam & Gilly’s relationship, and it’s also a great opportunity to have Sam and Arya interact.
Maybe GRRM only has outlines for Bran’s role in the endgame? And now that the show has caught up with the books, there is not enough material for three seasons.
Hmmm I think I disagree that Season 4 would have been the season to skip seeing Bran. We took a break from Bran in Feast, sure, but then we went back in time in Dance and showed what Bran (and others) were doing during the events of Feast, and they can’t really do that on the show. And if we left Bran in Season 4, where would we have dropped in on him in Season 5? Still on his way to find the three-eyed raven? Or would he already be at the tree, with no explanation as to how he got there? Leaving Bran where he is now doesn’t leave us on as confusing an ending. He’s stationary, and he’s going to learn more magic shit from an old guy in a tree. Seeing him in Season 6 post-training won’t be much of a headscratcher for audiences.
Also, if they’re skipping Bran to spend more time with other characters and storylines, this next season is the one to do it. Season 4 had a fewer groups of characters to juggle (no more Robb/Catelyn, Jaime joining the KL group, only one new major character). Season five is going to have more storylines (Tyrion breaking off from KL, Dorne, maybe more) so there’s more time needed to flesh out those numerous storylines. Leaving Bran now seems like a smart way to do that.
Casso,
Interesting take on everything. The Greyjoy/Pyke plot has always been a personal favorite of mine, so I’m very, very interested to see how that will play out. As far as Samwell goes, I think
Hodorkovski,
Considering that the show will, in all likeliness, finish before aSoIaF is completed, this isn’t something exclusive to Bran’s plot. S6 and onward will draw heavily on what GRRM has provided to D&D: outlines. That being said, I tend not to think that D&D skip out on major character’s plot due to a lack of plot for said characters. Rather, the plot remaining is better suited for later seasons. Which I think makes sense in Bran’s case where the show has reached the end of his aDwD plot sans
The rest of the story needs to catch up with Bran, so that Bran’s final plot points can happen concurrently with everyone elses. I imagine there will be some important tie-ins, but as I say all too often, I don’t know. We’ll have to wait and see!
EDIT: Also, somewhere in this unwieldy thread, I believe Patchface said something about confirming leftover Bran footage filmed during S4 would be used? This makes sense to me and at this point I’m inclined to take Patchface’s word on that.
Patchface,
Glad to have those characters returning. Gendry in particular – Joe Dempsie is a top actor and really gives show Gendry a different dimension to book Gendry.
I can’t see them skipping Bran for the whole of season 5. I think it will just be a couple of scenes, one early in season and one later, just to remind us where Bran is and what he is doing there. No need for Meera or Hodor’s to do that. It makes sense though, because in order to introduce Dorne properly, screen time has to be shaved elsewhere…
And what Patchface says would make sense – if there is only gonna be a small amount of Bran this year, then filming it with last year’s scenes would certainly be efficient.
But when Isaac comes to film season 6 will he be as big as Hodor??
I’m just glad that they’re filming
Mine is the Furry,
Well, clearly you’re no Bran fan. To me this is fucking stupid. If anything, they should have missed out on season 4.
Maybe to clear a space for Rickon
mariamb,
This. If they were taking this risk with a character that had a following and that many people like (or dislike) and remember (such as the Queen of Thorns, Theon and so on) then it could have worked fine, but Bran is an out of the loop character. He is no one’s favorite storyline, and literally no one will remember he exists in season 5. Is that what you do to one of your 6ish original main characters? They’re reducing him to Rickon levels after setting up a rise!
If Bran doesn’t appear in season 5 even for one scene, I don’t think they’ll just reintroduce his storyline as if nothing happened in season 6. They’re going to reintroduce him in a specific point (some people speculate that Jon and Bran will meet late in TWOW- so that would work, through Jon’s storyline).
Anyway, best case scenario right now is that Bran gets one scene at the very end of the season to remind people he exists and to set up a storyline in season 5. If we don’t even get that, don’t expect Bran to make a glorious return in season 6. D&D are effectively writing him out until they have to deal with him again.
Can’t say it ever felt like they cared much about the character (maybe in season 4), but this is still extremely disappointing.
Mine is the Furry,
Exactly. D&D are pulling a GRRM. That’s no good.
Jared,
I can see them showing a scene with Hodor and Meera saying goodbye to bran and setting off to find Rickon and Osha, a scene that was already filmed during season 4. Peter Jackson filmed scenes for all 3 Lord of the rings movies at the same time in some instances then saved them for later. We definitely will not be following Hodor and Meera as they travel around so that could explain the “we arent in season 5”. Bran being cut seems very very unlikely. From the shows perspective, he’s been portrayed as having a potentially big part to play in the end game arc against the walkers, so cutting him out for a season would be stupefying, esp because they can use this season to show some really awesome flashback scenes, since Cersei is rumored to have one coming up as well
Maxwell James,
2 years is hardly suspense. And for a character like Bran, nobody will even remember him in season 6. And if they think they can use this as an excuse to recast… I didn’t dare to even mention it before, but yeah- they better not.
jentario,
They have contracts with main cast members. They can’t recast him.
Greenjones,
Good stuff
It’s all over the internet now. If HBO doesn’t make a statement soon, it must be true.
LOl…”must-needs.”
GRRM and his archaic language. *snort*
jentario,
I fucking love Bran. I just hate his stylist and wig maker. You’re thinking of flan. I hate that spongey mess entirely.
Mine is the Furry,
Bran’s wig is greasier than Joffrey’s cunt
jentario,
This actually makes me worried a lot.
To be honest I care more about Isaac than I care about his storyline. Please just don’t replace him or I’d be so sad.
Yes…a 2 year gap doesn’t build suspense. It creates disinterest, especially when there is more drama and excitement in other story lines.
From Hibberd’s post on ew.com: “Leaving behind Bran will give the show more time to spend with the new characters”. Like who? The newly elevated Trystane Martell, heir to Dorne.
I’m really hoping that the rumor of using scenes filmed last year is true. Have they done it in prior seasons or would this be the first time?
Also, do we think that S5 will contain substantial parts of some characters’ TWOW storyline? Sansa seems the likeliest candidate. With the news about Bran, maybe her storyline will be parked and she will be traveling around the Vale learning from Littlefinger.
Is it wrong that I kinda like this idea? It would be unexpected and shocking. But then again, I’m the only viewer who enjoyed the Talisa character, so ignore what I just wrote, heh.
🙂
Regarding Bran and company, if they’re gone in S5, they’re gone. It will work out in the end.
I believe the cold open of Season 3 was shot during Season 2. But I could be wrong about that.
As for TWoW material, it now appears more or less that just about every character has plenty to sustain them from ADwD and AFfC. Sansa’s your main exception – and they’re not leaving her out. She did have at least 1-2 more chapters in books 4/5 that haven’t been shot, but it’s not much. But it may be an expansion on the machinations of Littlefinger that are hinted at/addressed in those couple of chapters, and in that case would function similarly to the usage of Natalie Dormer in the last two seasons, as most of her material is invented-but-plausible stuff that *could* have happened within the pages of the books.
Also, I think it’s possible they’d re-cast Art Parkinson, given how long of a hiatus we’ve had from Rickon. However, I kind of prefer they keep him, unless he’s now as tall as Hodor. I have serious doubts they’d recast Isaac. It would be terribly jarring. All of the other recasts have been small children, extras, the Mountain (six times) and the unfortunate Daario situation.
Pretty sure you are. I remember John Bradley referencing that scene specifically and how tough it was with all the running he had to do when talking about filming Season 3.
Patchface,
If there are only two in the boat, I wonder if the important Volantis scene is even needed at all? Couldn’t those two be together on the whole trip? The bear was with the cheesemonger before, couldn’t he be there, ready to be a guide, at the beginning of the season?
(Sorry to be cryptic, I can’t get the spoiler tags to work.)
Now i hope mormont’s raven will be hodoring! :o)
Blind Beth,
Yes, it’s looking like
That issue has not come up since episode 1 season 1 and i kinda doubt the TV show viewers care or remember about it …
My bet is that 90% of them will confuse Rhaegar with Viserys.
Cared or not its an important scene that need to appear 🙁
And you’r right they will be like ohhhh so Khalese’s crule brother was actually a kind person who loved a stark woman” they wouldn’t know who’s the stark woman eithar 🙂 “” and gave her blue roses ):
Blind Beth,
Well, you may be right, I don’t know what to say about that. It was not I who reported that particular scene, so I have no idea how it will be played out. My issue was with the report indicating the scene will take place in Volantis and I merely wanted to see if that was accurate, since I don’t believe Volantis will be featured as a location in season 5. In the absence of some sort of confirmation, I’ll take the Volantis reference as being misplaced.
As to the scene itself, I am in favor of following the books in as much as possible, but I will not be outraged if they change some things…after all the TV show is great!
No ignorance to pardon, Abyss.
It means “wearing” an avatar. For instance, I’m not currently “sporting” any avatar. To put it in another context, say a friend of yours had a cool new hat. One could say, “hey, that’s a nice new hat you’re sporting.”
It’s one of those words in English which has a few different meanings.
With multiple season renewals, I’m surprised they don’t film ahead and do two seasons worth of filming for some of the characters like Bran. They should have already filmed scenes while they had the sets/locations for the Children of the Forest and then been able to have a few scenes in Season 5 reminding viewers that Bran’s important. But filming this season the start of Bran’s next arc to appear in both Season 5 and 6 would be practical in terms of utilizing actors, sets and locations (with individual directors per episodes, fitting in scenes already filmed is an issue, but scenes slide between episodes already).
Isaac is going to continue to grow so filming as much as possible while he still looks as young as possible would also make sense to avoid recasting or having to add in a major jump in time in the story.
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
Ah, I see, it’s slang, the nemesis of the second language speaker!
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-09-04/game-of-thrones-two-major-characters-will-not-be-in-series-5
Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark) has responded to series 5 rumours
Once again he answered without answering anything.
I don’t think it is slang, but just one of those words which has different meanings depending on how it is used. It can be used as an adjective or a verb, and there is more than one meaning with each part of speech.
Forgive my laziness for copying the following from google:
sport·ing
spôrtiNG/
adjective
adjective: sporting
1.
connected with or interested in sports.
“a major sporting event”
2.
fair and generous in one’s behavior or treatment of others, especially in a game or contest.
“it was not very sporting of Smith to hit Gonzales with that pitch”
synonyms: sportsmanlike, generous, gentlemanly, considerate; More
fair, just, honorable, decent
“they encourage sporting behavior among the boys”
antonyms: dirty, unfair
sport
spôrt/
verb
gerund or present participle: sporting
1.
wear or display (a distinctive or noticeable item).
“he was sporting a huge handlebar mustache”
synonyms: wear, have on, dress in; More
display, exhibit, show off, flourish, parade, flaunt
“he sported a beard”
2.
amuse oneself or play in a lively, energetic way.
“the children sported in the water”
Abyss,
A perfect example of why English is the most expressive yet annoying language in the world!
Mickey2093,
Hehe! That was a good one, Mickey.
I’m going to miss Hodor this coming season.
Eumaeus,
Here he says he’ll be back pretty clearly.
Honestly confused why there are debates about Isaac/Bran being back or not. He said he’d be back filming soon, a few times. The only question is, is Kristian referring to just himself or does he mean he and Ellie Kendrick as well.
Sue the Fury,
Because the press leapt on this story and misrepresented it just like they did with the LSH business. So even though we only have the one Kristian Nairn interview as the source, people assume the story is true because so many different sites have reposted the news. Basically the online press does not give a shit about spoilers anymore. Even worse they make insinuations and report them as though they were fact.
Of course the blame also lies with reactionary hyperbolic fans who complain and threaten to riot based on unconfirmed rumours…
When those two sinister forces meet, bullshit ensues.
TheTouchOfFrost,
Well, I don’t know about that. Slang is not reserved to the English language alone. 😉
Here is some info about the Three Eye Raven appearing in s5e1, which appears to confirm my previous reports about Bran & Leaf being included in season 5.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0734654/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t24
^This. All of this. It’s one thing for a website report a rumor, classify it as such, and engage in speculation about what the implications might be (that’s what we’re doing here). It’s another thing entirely to take a single published report, circulate it across the Internet like wildfire, and then treat it like gospel. I believe Kristian Nairn when he says that he won’t be in Season 5 – he’s an honest guy, and he has no reason to lie. But every other part of this story – especially as it relates to Bran and Isaac Hempstead-Wright – should be treated as unconfirmed.
The James Hibberd article on EW on this subject is the only one that I would put any stock in, because we know that he’s close to the show and has broken news like this in the past. But despite the bold and definitive headline of his piece, he at least notes in the body of the text that HBO would not comment or confirm the story. Because networks like HBO can be quick to issue denials when there’s a story out there that they don’t like, their silence is often treated by fans and entertainment media as de facto confirmation. But that doesn’t mean that it should be.
As for fan overreaction, I’ll leave that untouched, save to say that it’s been an … issue … in the past.
Oh tell me about it. Over on Game of Thrones Wiki, I invested a lot of time and energy into specifiying on the “Season 5” page that “Just because Hodor isn’t in Season 5 doesn’t mean Bran isn’t”: http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/index.php?title=Season_5&diff=158391&oldid=158387
So what do I wake up to today? Some fool posting on the Bran Stark article: “(Bran and Hodor confirmed not to be in season 5 read links)”
http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Bran_Stark?diff=158434&oldid=157430
…when he DID NOT provide any “links” to this effect, and my explanation on the Season 5 page WENT OUT OF ITS WAY to point out that Bran could still be in it.
Abyss,
This is true! Although I think the fact that it combines so many other different languages (thanks to the world and his wife having invaded and settled our little island!) gives it that flexibility that not a lot of other languages possess!
On the Bran/Meera/Nodor furore. Calm down people. It makes perfect sense to have little to no Bran story this season. He’d get too far ahead of the others and the time and budget are better spent elsewhere. A scene or two to keep him in mind is absolutely fine. It’s not as if he’s just going to disappear from the story!
VIDEO INTERVIEW CONFIRMS BRAN IS IN SEASON 5: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej9RGdCBMvs
So the internets are full of idiot bloggers writing about how Hodor confirmed neither he nor Bran will be in season 5. All the while a video of Isaac H.W. is making the rounds where he talks about his new moview Boxtrolls and confirms his return to season 5. Oh well
Jared,
The other part to note: on careful reading of the story, Hibberd does not mention “sources close to the production” or “sources familiar” as additional confirmation of Bran’s appearance or non-appearance. He notes the Kristian Nairn interview, as said – but does not cite another source. And Nairn is pretty vague himself.
I wonder if Hodorpaste will replace Jojenpaste in the show.
Jordan,
While I understand their reasoning, I really do think that the story will lose some of its depth by keeping Bran out of it. Particularly in Theon’s storyline. Maybe they can record Bran whispering Theon a few different ways, so Bran’s presence is felt even if he’s not shown. One thing I love about the books is that even though he only has 3 chapters in DwD, his presence can be felt everywhere. Especially in the sample chapters released for WoW. He shows up in the Theon chapter, the Mercy chapter, and even the Arianne chapter with new weirwood saplings growing in the South.
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