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Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Showrunner Ira Parker is almost finished filming the second season of his HBO fantasy series, and not so soon.
Production has largely moved from Northern Ireland to Spain for the adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s second Dunk and Egg novel, The Divided Sword, and has suffered horrific floods in the Canary Islands. But Parker also has plenty of reasons to celebrate: The first season of the series — which follows a wandering hedge knight (Peter Claffey) and his young sidekick Egg (Dexter Saul Ansel) — was nominated for nine Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, and was a critical and ratings success that breathed new life into the series. Thrones privilege.
Below, Parker took a break from filming and editing Season 2 to chat Hollywood Reporter On his recent challenges, his bold long-term vision for the show, those Emmy nominations and his all-time favorite moments from the original series game of thrones (Including one “controversial” option).
Well, I’m almost finished filming Season 2. Which season was the most difficult?
The first season was very difficult. Very difficult. The speed at which we had to shoot these things and how fast we moved. It felt more like an indie film, or even a student film, than a movie game of thrones production. Then came the second season, which is ten times harder. This has been a brutal, brutal season. The great part was this weather. We had to go somewhere to enjoy some heat and dryness, because the second book is set in a drought.
Then, ironically enough…
Yes, the place we chose to launch the drought is experiencing a once-in-a-100-year storm. It continued to get watery, and rain fell outside the sites. We were flooded. There were national emergencies. We had to put the crew on hiatus. We were going to come back – and then it happened again. There was so much stopping and starting that it was difficult to get into a real rhythm. This has gone on too long for a six-episode season, and we still have three more weeks of filming to go.
But what helped was that Peter and Dexter had a year more experience and they hit it off. So we avoided some of the growing pains in the first season. Season 2 was a fucking bastard.
Does it still seem like about 35 minutes per episode? Or did you extend your legs a little more this time?
No, 35. Look, the novels are all within 5 or 10 percent of each other’s length. This is our plan.
Obviously only Season 2 has been officially greenlit at this point. But you said something in our previous interview that made some headlines: that after adapting George’s three existing Dunk and Egg novels, you want to take a break for several years and then come back when Dexter and Peter grow up and tell new, essential stories from the characters’ lives. But TV isn’t usually made that way, and I wonder what HBO executives think about this idea.
I mostly get the eye roll, but not completely. And look, it’s going to have to do with how the show continues to do, or continues to not do. Every season will be a little different. What people want in their TV shows changes all the time.
But yeah, I’d like to expand it from three seasons to maybe four or five. The fourth book, which George is working on, is set in a very wonderful place. The fifth is the final point in Egg’s story as a boy. So, it’s a very natural ending place for us to take a break and come back when Dexter is older. So we can then play Egg the Prince, do some politics, do some fun stuff in Summer Hall and King’s Landing, and have a different setting where they’re not on the road all the time.
So, if the show ends and people still agree with everything we do and there’s still an appetite, let the show evolve along with our heroes, and with me and the rest of our creative team as we get older and the world changes and we want to say different things. I think this would be a great way to tell the story of these two men throughout their lives.
But what if, hypothetically, you get those five seasons, and then HBO says, “Let’s not take a break. Let’s recast Egg with an older actor.”.”
No, Dexter is our egg. Or, at least, Dexter is my nest egg – I have no controlling interest in this property. But Dexter and Peter are my men.
I know announcing premiere dates is HBO’s court. But considering how the storms delayed production on Season 2, do you still expect the show to return in the first half of next year?
Yes, of course.
Did George provide any new input that our readers might find interesting?
He gave me some unpublished pages—actual written prose that he found in his files somewhere and sent to us, and we used them.
Oh really? In this season?
Yes. For the deep fans, we get some extra stuff that – as far as George’s filing cabinets are concerned – is essential.
The show was nominated for Emmy Night’s top honor – Outstanding Drama Series. What was your personal reaction when you heard that?
I was in editing. I have set my phone to silence all notifications on everything. I was watching, funnily enough, a recap of the first season. Then I got a phone call, and I was like, “How is this possible?” It was from my partner, and I forgot that she was the only exception on the phone who could call without restrictions. I immediately heard in her voice that good news was coming. I personally thought either Peter or Dexter would be nominated.
But I think it was a huge relief – knowing it wasn’t just an illusion [the season] I connected with people. Personally, I thought that if your main character did something violent on screen in the first five minutes, you kept your series from getting awards. We consider it a tribute to the whole show, and especially to our crew in Belfast, who deserve it the most. So I was surprised, in a wonderful way, that the Television Academy held us in such high esteem.
You mentioned Peter and Dexter. Was there a specific nomination that the show didn’t get that you really felt deserved a nod?
Just being in the trenches with Peter and Dexter throughout this process – especially Peter, because of the performance he put in, the physicality and everything that goes with that. I think it’s probably impossible for people to see, but it’s really one of the most extraordinary pieces of work I’ve ever seen someone manage throughout a production. It wasn’t easy, and he somehow did it with a smile on his face. As a result, Lucy Bevan and Emily Bookman, our casting directors, found the only two people on planet Earth who could play these roles.
These were two crazy questions – a 7-foot giant and an 8-year-old who should be your second in command. And then putting together what I think is one of the coolest bands. Obviously I’m a little biased here. We had a great cast, and we were the show for the first season. All this had to be done from scratch. It’s just – yeah. Yes. Look, though, we’re very grateful for the appreciation for the entire show.
This is a long shot, given how focused they are on moving on from the franchise, but have you ever called game of thrones Is it a coincidence between David Benioff and Dan Weiss?
I didn’t talk to them. I think Dan was in Belfast at some point while we were shooting, and obviously he knew a lot of the people on our crew. There was talk of him coming, but it didn’t work out in the end. I wish I had reached out to you earlier in the process because, if nothing else, I just wanted to pick their brains about what this show was going to be about, about HBO, about moving your family to Belfast, and, you know, its whole staging. No one knows that better than them. Hopefully, one day, I’d like to have coffee with them.
You’ve said that you can’t pick a favorite out of the Season 1 episodes because you’re so close to them. But as a die-hard fan, which is your all-time favorite game of thrones episode?
I’m not sure I have favorite episodes. I have favorite moments. Two of them are Danny moments. One of them was when W Her dragons were born – man, that turned me on so much. The other is when she “sells” her dragons to the slave master. I’m trying to think of other things that are out of the ordinary and not just typical fan favorites. Do you have a favourite?
I’m not sure I have one. I have a favorite battle ring. I know a great choice would be to say “Hardhome”. But I think “Battle of the Bastards” is the best. Maybe it’s because I was on set, but I think the episode, to this day, is unparalleled in terms of the television landscape.
I agree with you. And you know, actually, another one of my favorite moments? I hope this causes some controversy. The scene of Arya and the Hound on the bridge before the battle in the final season. They only have a conversation when everything is quiet. I like this scene very much. I’ve read other things in this scene that people have tried to dissuade me from. But I really love that the two of them are back together in that moment.
A version of this story will appear in the August standalone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To obtain the magazine, click here to subscribe.
