Seriously though, Winter is coming.
We've filled our plates with the t-shirts, mugs, maps, pins and other assorted Game of Thrones merchandise available at Store.HBO.com, but now Chronicle Books and HBO have brought us a handsome visual companion to the series - 'Inside HBO's Game of Thrones.'
I recently had the chance to ask writer Bryan Cogman, who's busy in the midst of Season 3 production, about his book, the format, the synergy between the novels and the television show, his favorite Song of Ice and Fire character to bring to the screen and more.
IGN: How did the idea for ‘Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones’ come about?
Bryan Cogman: I'm not sure who hatched the initial idea but I was brought on board during production of Season 2. I was standing on a beach during a night shoot, watching the Seven Idols burn (a scene from our season premiere) when my boss (co-showrunner) David Benioff turned to me and said, "We're doing a making of book." Me: "Oh, great!" David: "And you're writing it." So I spent last year juggling my duties on the show with putting together the book.
IGN: What is it about this TV series and this book saga that makes fans want to own a piece of it? Or gift it to others?
Cogman: I think the show works as an epic spectacle that's a feast for the eyes, but also as an intensely human story. Hopefully the book captures both.
IGN: How did you go about tailoring this book to fans of both the George R. R. Martin books and the HBO series?
Cogman: Well, this is a book strictly about the TV series -- though I always hope fans of the books are fans of the show too. But George R.R. Martin provides a few interesting anecdotes about what inspired him to write certain bits in the books -- the Wall for example -- that I think book fans will enjoy. For me the biggest hurdle was trying to cover two seasons of such a massive show in only 192 pages. Admittedly, there's a lot left out and the book leans a little heavier on Season One of our show, but there's only so much I could fit and since I was writing as we were shooting Season 2, a lot of that material wasn't yet available. The nice thing is that any loose ends can be tied up in future volumes. It was impossible to do a totally comprehensive making of book so we decided to make it part making of/part art book/part mythology guide. And I really wanted it to be enjoyable for die-hard and casual fans alike.
IGN: You start off the book with The Wall, and then the Night’s Watch and Jon Snow. Then you touch upon certain episodes, major characters, costumes, etc. What led you to format the book the way you did?
Cogman: We had a few ideas about how to structure it and this just felt right. One of the great features of the series is the totally unique universe George has created, plus most of the storylines are defined somewhat by their geographical location, so it seemed to make sense to start at the Wall, travel south, then east to Essos.
IGN: Did anything surprise you personally about the production of the series while you were making this book?
Cogman: I don't know if this was a surprise, but it definitely reinforced just how big this thing is -- the amount of actors, designers, department heads, storylines, themes, locations... I guess the continual surprise is that we all haven't gone mad. But, to answer your question... there were a few tidbits I hadn't been aware of -- like Jason Momoa studying silverback gorillas to prep his portrayal of Khal Drogo.
IGN: You’ve been a writer on this series since the very beginning. With the creation of this book now, is it safe to say that the worlds of Westeros and Essos is your life now?
Cogman: Oh, yeah, as it has been for the better part of four years! It's a good thing I love this show, these characters, this world so much because I'm neck deep in it every day. Thankfully, the show has opened a few doors to other opportunities... I'm working on a new film script soon -- we'll see if I can figure out how to write something else!
IGN: If you simply had to choose, which has been your favorite Game of Thrones character to bring from page to screen?
Cogman: Well... gun to my head, I'd say Theon Greyjoy -- I'm really proud of his scenes in my episodes thus far and I love Alfie's performance. But it's a terrible thing to have to choose!
IGN: At the end of ‘Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones’ you show us a couple of very amusing fake script pages that were given to the actors as a prank; one from Season 1 for Jon Snow and one from Season 2 for Theon. Do you think this tradition carry on into Season 3?
Cogman: You know, I don't think it's happening this season. At least, not so far. I fear everyone's too aware of the last couple of pranks. I think the guys are giving it a rest for now, but you never know. There was actually another prank that was featured in the book which I had to cut for space, but in this one David and Dan were the victims. Midway through production of Season One, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) convinced the guys he'd shaved his head -- losing Jaime's distinctive golden locks. He emailed them a photo with this new haircut and said it felt right for the character. D&D freaked out -- I think HBO might have been alerted, can't remember -- but in any case, it was all a joke. The pic was from a few years before.
'Inside HBO's Game of Thrones' is available at www.Store.HBO.com, along with a Collector's Edition Box Set that includes a signed book plate from author Bryan Cogman.
Source : ign[dot]com
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