A few weeks ago, we reported on the leaked Game of Thrones season five cast list, which included a whole bunch of Martells and the Sand Snakes, who you’ll immediately fall in love with, which probably means they’ll die violently. Anyway, everyone assumed that the additions to the cast meant a whole lot of Dorne next year, and David Benioff and Dan Weiss confirmed as much in an interview with EW.
The production is going to Spain, and leaked casting breakdowns are full of Dorne characters. So can we assume lots of time in Dorne? And if so, what excites you about the Dorne storyline?
There will be Dorne, and we’re excited about it. Who wouldn’t want to hang out in Dorne? They have admirable values and priorities. And have you seen Oberyn’s coat?
I have, and it’s covered in blood. You monster.
We’ve come to a huge pivot point. George R.R. Martin originally conceived of his books as a trilogy, and the end of A Storm of Swords feels like the first and only natural breaking point in the saga. It also begins a stretch of storytelling that some fans feel isn’t as compelling as what came before it. What’s your take on season five?
After finishing season three, we were nervous about season four — we’d been looking forward to the Red Wedding for so long that once we shot it, we feared everything beyond that would seem like an anti-climax. We grew less nervous when we outlined season four, less nervous still when we wrote the episodes, and all nervousness evaporated when we saw the directors’ cuts and knew we had a great season in hand. For season five, again, the fear started to dissipate when we outlined it and realized how much story we had to tell. Now that we’re nearly finished with the first drafts of each episode, we see no reason why the coming season shouldn’t be the strongest yet.
The most interesting thing about season five will be how they blend elements of books four/five with stories they’ll have to make up, because they’ve caught up to George R.R. Martin. But don’t worry, Dany only has one awesome scene, and then a whole lot of nothing. Somethings never change.
