Hypothetically, if HBO gets to season 4, how would they handle...

[Faiz]

I keep day dreaming about how awesome things are going to get later in the series, and one potentially disturbing moment in particular made me curious.

How the hell are they going to manage (view spoiler)[ Tyrion and Sansa's Wedding night? especially the paragraph long description of Tyrion's Penis? Any precedent for sustained full frontal nudity on HBO? Because the scene in general is essential to explaining character interactions going forward (hide spoiler)]

Any other awesome super-spoilery scenes people have in mind?

[terpkristin]

(view spoiler)[How 'bout the scene where Tyrion sits in le crappier and murders his father... (hide spoiler)]

[Faiz]

Loved that one, that would turn out spectacularly on TV. I can visualize it perfectly now.

[[deleted user]]

(view spoiler)[The Red Wedding. (hide spoiler)]

[aldenoneil]

I mentioned this in the other thread, but (view spoiler)[the whole birth/nursing of the dragons scene, though this will be this season (hide spoiler)]. People upset about seeing bare breasts have seen nothing yet, if this plays true to the text.

[Mathew]

just out of curiosity have they defined that each season will cover a single book? I'm guessing they could get a couple seasons out of some of the books.

[Been]

I believe they've said before that 1 season will cover 1 book, but I've not heard anything about how they're counting the ones which were split for the UK release. If they don't count them as separate books they're going to struggle once they finish season 5.

Are HBO likely to make up their own story after they run of material? The only HBO series I've seen is Dexter where they wrote their own material for the most part (especially after the first season) and I can't really fault them for not sticking with the books on that one.

[Dan]

If they don't count them as separate books they're going to struggle once they finish season 5."

Not a problem. They can always pull a BSG and stretch a single season over a couple of years.

I think a big risk here is HBO doesn't know how or even if the series will end because it hasn't been written yet. GRRM may have spilled his plans over to them to get the contract signed, but he still has a lot of writing to do.

[Keith]

I think we could be waiting more than 1 year between each season. Seems like the most sensible option to me.

GRRM has said that he plans on getting books #6 and #7 out relatively quickly, as he now has a plan for how he wants to finish the series.

[Faiz]

Season 1 took 7 months to film, but thus far no details have been released on when 2 will air.

but it could be really soon if they wanted to.

[Paul]

I'm sure I've read somewhere that the series is planned to run for ten seasons. Of course, all this is down to the vagaries of the audience so there are no guarantees.

[Faiz]

oh man. Viserys's "crowning" is gonna be intense!

[Faiz]

To clarify the issue of books to seasons, GRRM apparently said in an interview that book 2 will be a season, 3 will be 2 seasons and 4-5, which happen concurrently will together be 3 seasons.

Thats 7, which give him 6 years to finish everything off, which he said he will do.

But i donno, 9(or more) seasons sounds huge, very big challenge. plus kids will age much too fast, so bring up only one issue.

Its HBO, and for now the ratings look very good, but still, i can't help but be worried for the future.