While it’s true that there were so many deaths in Game of Thrones, there were also times when characters were resurrected. In fact, this was an issue that George R.R. Martin regretted as the showrunners of the hit series decided to alter one major character’s fate.
It’s been almost six years since the show ended, but fans are still bitter about the changes made that subsequently ruined many great characters. In fact, this one figure that has been permanently killed in the series continues to exist in Martin’s book.
Lady Stoneheart’s arc is pretty much alive in George R.R. Martin’s The Winds of Winter
Working on adaptations has its ups and downs, and one of the many things that showrunners consider is the constraints of translating books to the screen. While it’s understandable that some characters were omitted because there’s no budget for casting more actors — or perhaps the writers have decided to streamline the script and focus on the major roles — it’s a different story when a supposed resurrection of a dead main character has been completely thrown in the bin.
Yes, we’re talking about Catelyn Stark’s afterlife persona: Lady Stoneheart. George R.R. Martin told Esquire China in 2017 (via Forbes) that he continues to write about the cold-hearted version of Lady Stark in The Winds of Winter as she still plays a crucial role in A Song of Ice and Fire series. In fact, the author laments how he failed to fight for the character’s return in the series.
In the book, characters can be resurrected. After Catelyn is resurrected as Lady Stoneheart, she becomes a vengeful, heartless killer. In the sixth book, I still continue to write her. She is an important character in the set of books. [Keeping her character] is the change I most wish I could make in the [show].
True enough, Martin reiterated in his interview with Time magazine that leaving out Lady Stoneheart was the first major diversion of the show from the books, a decision that David Benioff and Dan Weiss made even though the author was strongly against it.
Martin was extremely dismayed by this action as he preferred the series to stick to the source material as much as possible. Since then, the show hasn’t been completely faithful to the novels.
Game of Thrones showrunner revealed why Lady Stoneheart was not in the show
Benioff explained Lady Stoneheart’s absence from the show in James Hibberd’s Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon. He said they did not want to tackle her story to avoid spoiling Martin’s books. Moreover, they did not want too many resurrection scenes as it diminishes the impact of deaths in the show. Jon Snow notably died and was resurrected across the fifth and sixth seasons.
The showrunners also believed Catelyn’s last moment during the Red Wedding was so iconic and bringing back actress Michelle Fairley as a zombie who doesn’t speak would only ruin what they had worked for.
Game of Thrones is currently available to stream on HBO Max.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
