It appears that Game of Thrones season 5 will not continue Bran Stark’s storyline. But showrunner David Benioff has the perfect explanation for the unwelcome time-out.
This article contains very mild spoilers for the A Song of Ice and Fire series.
Earlier this year, Kristian Nairn (who plays Hodor) accidentally revealed that he, and by extension Isaac Hempstad-Wright (Bran), will not be appearing in the upcoming Game of Thrones season 5.
Some fans have responded negatively to the reveal, prompting Game of Thrones showrunner David Benioff to speak out about the decision.
Speaking to EW, Benioff points out that — seeing as we’re (almost) all caught up with Bran’ storyline — he wouldn’t have much to do on screen, unless they’re willing to reveal what happens beyond A Dance With Dragons.
“He’s now entering a training period which is going to take quite some time,” Benioff explains, “much of which isn’t particularly cinematic. So rather than being stuck in a cave for a year, we figured it would be interesting to leave him out for a little bit, so when you see him again…”
…Then maybe The Winds of Winter will have been released? Oh, one can, er, dream.
It’s also worth noting that this information should be taken with a grain of salt. A few months ago, Isaac Hempstead-Wright responded to rumours that he would be absent in season 5, and flat-out stated that he would be appearing. So… someone’s trying to throw us off the scent here.
But honestly, it makes sense to press pause on Bran’s arc at this point. He’s made it to the Children of the Forest, he’s lost Jojen, and after all, if we go by the A Song of Ice and Fire timeline, Bran’s storyline was already a fair bit ahead of most of the other characters’.
So if he does appear, as Hempstead-Wright claims, it’ll likely be for a brief end-of-episode shocker, or perhaps in a dream or vision?
When speaking about Bran’s absence in season 5, Benioff also calls Nairn’s slip “unfortunate,” a statement which we have to question: after all, isn’t it better that an arguably negative development — the omission of one of the major characters (and one of the last remaining Starks) — is revealed well in advance of the show’s return?
That way, fans can get over their indignation and focus on what they will get to see in Game of Thrones season 5, as opposed to getting more and more disappointed each week when Bran and the skeletons from Pirates of the Caribbean fail to show up.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
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