The controversial Game of Thrones series finale shocked millions of fans – except for A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin, whose specific requests sealed the fates of the Six Kingdoms.
According to Isaac Hempstead Wright, aka, Bran the Broken and our collective king, the author had some major pull with showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, despite not having finished the final book, The Winds of Winter, in the wildly popular series.
"David and Dan told me there were two things George R.R. Martin had planned for Bran, and that was the Hodor revelation, and that he would be king," Hempstead Wright told HBO's Making Game of Thrones website. "It was a really nice way to wrap it up."
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So, if you had a problem with either Bran becoming king or Hodor dying a horrific death, it looks like Martin's the man to confront. (Maybe Benioff and Weiss can breathe a little easier now.)
Hempstead Wright also added that the ending surprised him. "I had to physically get up and walk around my flat. I said, 'What?! You're joking.' It was the very last thing I expected to happen," he told HBO. "I was convinced they had sent a script to everyone in which they become king or queen, so I still didn't believe it until the read-through."
Still, he was supportive of the decision in the end. "But I think he is a great character to take on that role," he added. "You never thought of him in that way, but what more could you ask for in a king than to have no personal attachments, no agenda, but have a calm understanding of the entire universe? He's the ideal person to be in charge."
Loads of people disagree with that statement, including a certain Khal Drogo — but we'll let them sort this one out.
Martin will have plenty of opportunities to share his thoughts on upcoming Game of Thrones projects, including a prequel, which stars Naomi Watts, Josh Whitehouse, and an exciting batch of fresh faces. The prequel will take place thousands of years before the anyone had ever heard of Bran Stark in a period called the golden Age of Heroes, HBO reports. Fans were quick to speculate that this means the series might centre around the world's descent into the Long Night, in which the White Walkers waged a war with the Children of the Forest. If these assumptions are correct, it might mean we'll finally get to meet Azor Ahai, the legendary character who helped defeat the White Walkers and restore (temporary) peace.
Hm, if only a certain Three-Eyed Raven could spill the details on this project, as well.