Over the years, HBO has received a new name and definition to what one thinks when HBO is used as a term. For a long time, The Sopranos was on top, but now Game of Thrones has taken the lead as there multiple seasons on standby, toys, clothing and everything else you can think of bringing HBO millions. Wealth, power and a certain guarantee to success, however, doesn’t lead to a perfect harmony, as the team of actors and actresses Game of Thrones is currently negotiating its presence in a hypothetical seventh season of the series adapted from the novels of George RR Martin. Despite how long ago that’s going to be, it’s a big point of contention for many. George RR Martin doesn’t shy away from killing off characters at, what seems at times, complete random. It brings drama both inside and out of the show and now it could bring tempers high.
The actors and actresses in this show range from having a great deal of experience, to having little and seeing some of the actors and actresses of Game of Thrones begin to be in great demand for rolls in other movies, HBO is renegotiating their incomes for upcoming episodes to keep them under contract to a hypothetical seventh season. In view of these discussions, contracts are divided according THR in three main categories: Teams A, B and C.
First, there are contracts involving the “Team A” or the leading players of the series according to the production: Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen). Those will soon see their contracts revised upwards, as a way of ensuring loyalty.
Then comes “Team B,” the regular players that are more secondary. While that status is easily argued, these include Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell). Again, the girls will have fairly substantial increases, but not yet unveiled. Maisie Williams Turner isn’t replaceable, though that can’t be said for Sophie Turner. The roles given by RR Martin sealed this fate; it has nothing to do with the acting prowess of them both.
In addition to these first two categories, “Team C” seems to compose of much more minor roles that benefit from significantly higher percentages by their increases proportionally. It’s a safe bet that supporting roles receiving support 30,000 dollars to spend roughly 100,000 dollars per episode, making us wonder why more would be required to secure loyalty for the higher actors that one could postulate receiving upwards of half a million dollars per episode. That’s a complete guess. Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau will all be paid close to $300,000 an episode.
The exact amounts covered by the actors are currently still unknown but negotiations may be arduous. There are good and bad negotiations. Bad negotiations like those of what the cast of the Big Bang Theory are undergoing for whatever reason, which recently delayed the start of filming of the season until the wages are accounted for and negotiations have been finalized.
Of course, signing contracts for seven seasons does not ensure that those seasons will last, or that the specific character played by an actress or actor will be ensured to reach the seventh season, referring back to that thing about RR Martin being a sadistic genius. Game of Thrones continues to be a show that demands power and respect, and since the author of the novels is always writing more, it’s impossible to say what events may transpire that may just happen to affect your favorite character. In many cases, the character is already perhaps dead. Who could have imagined the Stark family would have been nearly wiped out, letting supposed evil prevail?