Game of Thrones actor says finale twist was George R.R. Martin's idea

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The Three-Eyed Raven is clearing up another Game of Thrones mystery.

Bran Stark actor Isaac Hempstead Wright revealed in a new HBO behind-the-scenes interview that one of the show’s finale twists was directly from author George R.R. Martin (spoilers ahead).

“[Creators] David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] told me there were two things [author] George R.R. Martin had planned for Bran, and that was the Hodor revelation, and that he would be king,” Wright said. “So that’s pretty special to be directly involved in something that is part of George’s vision. It was a really nice way to wrap it up.”

So there you have it: King Bran is apparently from Martin himself.

Still unanswered is the question of whether the finale’s other huge move — Jon killing Daenerys — was also from Martin. But with Bran ending up on the throne seemingly confirmed, the downfall of Dany also seems certain — it’s hard to imagine anything but death stopping the Mother of Dragons from reaching her Iron Throne goal. And since Jon Snow’s parentage is almost certainly from Martin too, clearly something happens that keeps Jon from taking his birthright as well.

Previously, Wright told EW about reading the finale script: “When I got to the [Dragonpit scene] in the last episode and they’re like, ‘What about Bran?’ I had to get up and pace around the room. I genuinely thought it was a joke script and that David and Dan sent to everyone a script with their own character ends up on the Iron Throne. ‘Yeah, good one guys. Oh s—, it’s actually real?’”

Wright also added: “I think he’ll be a really good king actually. Perhaps there will be something missing in having real emotive leader, which is a useful quality in a king or queen as well. At the same time, you can’t really argue with Bran. He’s like, ‘No, I know everything.’”

Each chapter in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels are written from a character’s perspective and his first book in the saga, A Game of Thrones, opened from Bran’s point of view, so in a way it’s fitting the character ended up on the throne in his story. Then again, Martin famously makes changes to his story as he writes, and now with the HBO series’ ending out there for all to see, who knows if he will stick to his original plan.

“I hear people asking,” Martin wrote on his blog. “The same ending as the show? Different? Well… yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes. I am working in a very different medium than David and Dan, never forget. They had six hours for this final season. I expect these last two books of mine will fill 3000 manuscript pages between them before I’m done… and if more pages and chapters and scenes are needed, I’ll add them.”

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