George R.R. Martin's 1993 Version of GAME OF THRONES Was Utterly Different
A letter from George R.R. Martin to his publisher has leaked online and gives us a look into what he was originally planning for his Song of Ice and Fire saga, which would later be adapted into HBO's Game of Thrones, and it was drastically different from what he ended up writing.
Waterstones Books tweeted photos of the letter but were later removed. If you want to see them, the photos were reposted on Tumblr. I don't know if you would consider the following information SPOILER material, as it's a version of the story that we'll never see. But I'll throw out a warning just in case, because it talks about characters who survive through the whole series, and that part of the plan might still be intact.
The documents reveal that the Song of Ice and Fire saga was meant to be just a trilogy. Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, and Arya and Bran Stark were also the only characters meant to survive. Here are some other notable changes thanks to The Wrap:
Ed and Catelyn Stark still die and Robb Stark kills Joffrey:
"The Starks still don’t end well. Ed Stark dies at the hands of Joffrey Baratheon, and Catelyn flees North with her children Arya and Bran. Catelyn still meets her demise – like on Season 3 of the HBO series – but by the hands of The Others. Her son, Robb, will die in the battlefield against the Lannisters but not before killing the despicable Joffrey."
Arya and Jon fall in love:
"Arya and her half-brother Jon fall in love although they never act on their feelings. Their love comes to a halt when his true lineage – heavily speculated by book readers – is revealed. While on the run from his brother, Tyrion falls for Arya when he sides with the Starks."
Sansa bears Joffrey’s heir (What?!):
"Betraying her family, Sansa weds Joffrey and bears him an heir before regretting her decision."
Daenerys avenges her ruthless brother Viserys:
"Khal Drogo kills Viserys who keeps pushing his claim to the throne. Drogo’s wife, Daenerys, avenges her cruel brother and prepares an invasion of the Seven Kingdoms."
In closing lines of the letter, Martin wrote,
“I hope you will find some editors who are as excited about all of this as I am. Feel free to share this letter with anyone who wants to know how the story will go."
A lot has changed over the last 22 years. So far all of the characters that were originally meant to survive by story's end are still alive in the current series. So that might still be the plan. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Game of Thrones Season 5 premieres on HBO on Sunday, April 12th at 9 p.m.