‘Game of Thrones’ Season 5 Director Shakeup: No Neil Marshall, Alex Graves or Michelle MacLaren
HBO's 'Game of Thrones' season 4 production courted a bit more controversy than usual, specifically with regard to director Alex Graves' thoughts on the multiple rape controversies, and it seems we're in for a shakeup in season 5. Not only will Graves sit out the coming season, but showrunners and occasional directors Dan Benioff and David Weiss will also step back, along with action go-to Neil Marshall and former 'Breaking Bad' director Michelle MacLaren.
Entertainment Weekly obtained the directors list for 'Game of Thrones' season 5, which largely consists of newcomers to the series apart from 509 and 510's David Nutter, who also directed "The Rains of Castamere" last season. Also worth noting in particular, is that the now-absent Marshall has received an Emmy nomination for directing this past season's action-heavy "Watchers on the Wall," and previously helmed season 2's ninth installment "Blackwater." The list is also absent Michelle MacLaren, who formerly garnered acclaim for her notable work on 'Breaking Bad' before helming episodes of 'Game of Thrones' in both the third and fourth seasons, making her the show's only female director. The season 5 list below noticeably features only male directors.
All told, here's EW's list of directors, accompanied by some of their past work:
Episodes 501 and 502: Michael Slovis (AMC’s 'Breaking Bad', NBC’s 'Law & Order: SVU')
Episodes 503 and 504: Mark Mylod (Showtime’s 'Shameless' and HBO’s 'Entourage')
Episodes 505 and 506: Jeremy Podeswa (HBO’s 'Boardwalk Empire' and Showtime’s The Tudors)
Episodes 507 and 508: Miguel Sapochnik (Fox’s 'House' and 'Fringe')
Episodes 509 and 510: David Nutter [both 'Arrow' and 'The Flash' pilots]
While we wait for ‘Game of Thrones’ season 5, we at least know of a multitude of other new characters being cast, including those that confirm we’ll be visiting the oft-mentioned kingdom of Dorne, for which Spain location shoots will double. We’ll also meet fewer new characters in season 5 than in prior years, as the next cycle will prove to be something of a midpoint for the series’ run. As expected, the story will draw heavily from George R.R. Martin‘s fourth and fifth novels, ‘A Feast for Crows’ and ‘A Dance with Dragons.’
We'll learn more from the panel at Comic-Con 2014, but in the meantime, tell us in the comments what you think of the season 5 director list! Which 'Game of Thrones' hour do you think will prove the most pivotal in 2015?