The 8 Most Important Things We Learned During The ‘Game Of Thrones’ Comic-Con Panel

VIA: After much deliberation, I have decided: no, nothing any of the Game of Thrones Comic-Con panelists could have said could top the Boyz II Men-inspired “In Memorium” video. George R.R. Martin could have announced a new book (NOPE) about Tyrion and a smooth-talking, pun-dropping, hip-hopping dragon solving mysteries (NO) while driving around the world in a van (NO DICE) with a painting of Dany on the siding (…STILL NADA). It’s that good.

But SOME interesting things came out of the talk, between moderator Elvis Mitchell and George R.R. Martin, David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Michelle Fairley, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Rose Leslie and John Bradley. The info comes from the indispensable Alan Sepinwall, a must-follow during SDCC (and always.).


1. Benioff calls [The Red Wedding] a rough one on set. He hugged Fairley and Madden, saying, “It’s the last time we’re going to work with them.” Even the tough Irish crew in Belfast was crying on set. “It’s such a testament to Michelle and Richard and Oona (Chaplin)” that everyone who knew these deaths were coming were still crying on set. Madden admits he cried on set and on the flight home.

2. Do Benioff and Weiss encourage the cast to read the books? Benioff says whatever the actors want to do, and says there can be a danger of actors playing what their character will be up to several seasons from now. Dinklage says “in four or five years, when this is all over, I’m going to go back and read all the books.”

3. The crowd applauds a mention of Clarke’s Emmy nomination. She says she was out the night before the nominations with Leslie…[This goes on for a bit more, but I'm pretending it doesn't]

4. Khal Drogo in the house! Jason Momoa bursts out of the wings, plants a kiss on Clarke, shouts, “I’m not dead yet!” and runs off to huge cheers.

5. Benioff praises the show’s composer Ramin Djawadi for coming up with a memorable version of “The Rains of Castamere.” Early in the development process, they discussed the idea of making the show’s theme song into “The Rains of Castamere,” but Weiss argued against it, and Benioff agrees it was the right call.

6. Mitchell asks Dinklage about playing scenes opposite Charles Dance as Tywin, and about Tyrion’s ambivalence about fatherhood. He says he can’t imagine anyone but Dance in that role. “Every time we have one of those scenes, Charles gives me a nice little shoulder rub after each take to make sure we love each other, as fellow thespians.”

7. It’s finally time for audience questions, but first Weiss introduces a deleted scene between Tywin and Maester Pycelle, taking place before the first Small Council meeting in which Tywin is Hand of the King. Pycelle pleads for his position on the Small Council back, and Tywin calls him out for his usual doddering old man schtick. It’s a terrific scene.

8. A fan asks if Martin would ever consider writing prequel books about the events before the series, noting that you could bring Ned Stark back without killing off Sean Bean again. “First, I have to finish The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring,” Martin says. “That’s going to take me a while. I have to write quickly, because these guys are catching up to me.”