Game of Thrones makers thought HBO would cancel the show before the Red Wedding, reveals George R. R. Martin

It may be hard to fathom now, but Game of Thrones makers had very little idea of the height it would reach when they started out. In fact, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss were apparently only hoping to get at least 3 seasons before the show’s untimely cancellation. Why Season 3? So that they could film the spectacular Red Wedding.

George R.R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire series (on which Game of Thrones is based), recently revealed this interesting tidbit about the show in an interview with the Irish Times. He was asked if he anticipated the huge success Game of Thrones was going to be. Martin replied:

“No one can anticipate that. It became the most popular television show in the world. When it started David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss], the showrunners, I remember them saying, ‘Well, let’s hope we can get three seasons, so we can get to at least the Red Wedding … Obviously, we got more than that.”

Game of Thrones’ selling point has always been its shock quotient, and the Red Wedding remains the golden standard in that regard. Several characters met a bloody end in the wedding feast turned mass murder, including fan favourites Robb and Catelyn Stark.

In the books as in the show, the Red Wedding acts as a pivotal moment in the War of Five Kings and completely changes the future of Westeros. No wonder the showrunners wanted to explore the creative opportunity it promised.

As we all know now, they did get to explore that, and how! Thoughts? Hit us up in the comments, down below!

Women’s safety is one of the major concerns in the world today. Reports of violence against women seem to be on the rise every single day. No wonder why some shows have dared to depict these acts on screen. There were many instances on Game of Thrones where such crimes were presented, to show the audience how horrible they can be.

Game of Thrones’ Iwan Rheon, well known for his villainous character Ramsay Bolton, still regrets the day he had to shoot one such scene. He called the scene where Ramsay raped Sansa (Sophie Turner) on their wedding night, making Theon (Alfie Allen) watch, the worst day of his career.

He told Metro.co.uk in an interview, “That was horrible. Nobody wanted to be there. Nobody wants to do that, but if it’s telling a story then you have to tell it truthfully.”

“They didn’t sensationalise it or anything. It was very, very hard watching. It’s a horrible thing that happens, unfortunately, and it shouldn’t be. It was the worst day of my career.” 

He continued, “Chopping someone’s finger off you don’t really see it, and when you’re doing like a close-up, it’s a piece of plastic. We’re just acting, it’s not real. Then something like that where you’re in the actual reality of the situation is very difficult to deal with. It was a horrible, horrible day.”

“This is something that we shouldn’t even have to worry about because it’s something that shouldn’t exist in this world but unfortunately it does.”

The Welsh actor understandably hated every minute of the 2015 episode Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. What do you think about the shocking episode? Tell us in the comments below!

Game of Thrones boasted a great collection of some of the best villains in television history. An ambitious villain makes the viewers praise his motivations, while some are purely sadistic. Iwan Rheon’s Ramsay Bolton was a mix of both, though more sadistic than ambitious at times. Ramsay would make his victims think they have control and can escape from him. He would then chase them down and fed them to his hounds. Iwan Rheon appeared in a real-life video game, with almost the same grim settings, but his role reversed.

Rheon was seen as a playable character in Screamfest 4: The Kraken’s Revenge. The 35-year-old actor talked about his experience in the game with NME. “It was crazy,” he explained. “I had earbuds in and a screen in front of me which just gave me a list of commands. I sort of had an idea of where the game was supposed to go so I could sort of help steer the game a little bit. But it was completely different every single time so you’re just improvising.”

Some users thought it might be fun to try and kill Rheon’s character instead of helping him escape. “There were a few people who I suspected were trying to kill me, but it’s difficult to know cos sometimes you just don’t know whether it’s just that they’re not quite getting the commands right. But I think one person was definitely seeing if the monster would murder me, and I submitted in the end and just said: ‘Go on then, take me’.”

The actor responded to the instructions given by players immediately via a live video link. Check out the link here yourself, and tell us about your experience in the comments below!

The final season of Game of Thrones was a controversial one. Season 8 divided the fanbase into two, one loved it, and the other seeking to get it remade. The cast wasn’t far from the squabble, they too had different opinions about it. Welsh actor Iwan Rheon, well known for his infamous character Ramsay Bolton, opened up about his views on the show’s final season.

In an interview with the NME, the Game of Thrones star revealed he had no issues with the controversial season. In fact, The Long Night was his favorite episode. “It was always gonna be divisive,” Rheon said. “I don’t think it was gonna be any other way, to be honest. Obviously, you can’t please everyone. I felt that they made a very strong decision to where they thought the season would go and I think they went with it and told the story really well.”

He added, “I thought the Battle of Winterfell was an absolute genius, the best television I’ve ever seen. I thought it was really brave and they went for it.”

When asked about the fan petition to remake the final season, Rheon said it was hilarious. He joked, “Who was doing the petition – Jeff Bezos?” He also shared his opinion about co-star Charles Dance not liking the eighth season. Iwan said, “There’s always controversy and loyalty, but I guess at the end of the day he’s entitled to his own opinion, as any fan is. I’ve got no problem with him saying what he wants to say, and what should anyone? It’s his opinion.”

Iwan Rheon defends the final season of the show while steering clear of criticizing those who don’t like it. How do you feel about the controversial season? Tell us in the comments below.