Something I've been wondering about recently. A lot of the big questions in the books, or some or the events that only get revealed much later on, will be revealed very differently in the TV series. We already had this to an extent when Arya saw Illyrio and Varys in the cellars of the Red Keep, suspicion for the reader becomes certainty for the viewer.

Potentially, I think we could even see HBO having to call things ahead of them being resolved in the book.

Arstan Whitebeard - ok a reasonable number of people guessed who he was. But when he turns up looking like Ian McElhinney, everyone's going to twig (or at least think "hmm, he looks familiar," and find him on IMDB.)

Jane Westerling - is the girl Jamie sees, who the Lannisters have in custody really her? for now, we have only a series of references to the size of her hips to base our supicions on. When it's the same/a completely different actress, we'll know for sure.

Coldhands - Ben Stark? or someone else entirely, all will be revealed when Jospeh Mawle turns up (or doesn't)

'The minstrell' who turns up at winterfell in Dance will also be very recognisable.

can anyone think of any others?

what do we think the chances are of GRRM wrapping up the novels in time for us to find out on his pages, rather than on-screen?

Mighty Jim said:

Lol, anyone who "spoils" parts of the series for themselves by IMDBing the cast has no right to complain, they made the decision to go poking around when they should have just waited to see how things turn out. Personally, if I was a viewer who hadn't read the books and made reasonable guesses about, for example, who Whitebeard is, I'd just keep watching to see if I was right and wouldn't scurry to the web to confirm my suspicions... it would be much more enjoyable for me as a viewer to say "Ha! I knew it!" when Whitebeard's identity was revealed than it would to google an actor.

It could be possible, depending on attire/makeup/lighting to keep Barristan's identity somewhat suspect. Keeping the focus of those scenes on Belwas could also keep things somewhat muddled as well, for the more casual fans who only watch the show. Granted, it's not likely to deter those who go looking, but as Jim said, those who pry get what they deserve.

In our play group, we have a guy who refuses to read the books, but when table banter refers to things that occur past book one, he get's (only half jokingly) upset about us ruining the series for him. To which those of us who have read on respond, "Look, this won't be happening in the TV show for FOUR YEARS"

I think they might just have to live with the fact that the audience will recognize Whitebeard as Barristan. It just doesn't make sense for him to look like a different person. Sure, they could hide his face under a hood, but that doesn't make sense to me either. He wouldn't hide his face from Daenerys 24/7, and he doesn't need to, because she doesn't know him.

Spoiling on IMDB could be done for a lot of reasons, not necessarily, giving people'what they deserve' - personally, I've got a terrible memory for faces. Recently we've been watching Downton Abbey - which anyone British will have heard of, and probably no-one else. It's a first World War, period drama. I'm sat watching the episode thinking, that guy has an INCREDIBLY familiar voice, who is he? - look on IMDB, turns out it's Jorah Mormont! (so that's where he's familiar from) - I'd have been a bit annoyed if it had turned out he'd been in the first series, but was back in disguise (very unlikely under the circumstances)

Getting away from IMDB though, my bigger concern, is HBo breaking major plot twists before GRRM does - the biggest example at the moment is the Jeyne Westerling thing. Feast for Crows is probably 5 years away on HBO. We all know there's absolutely no gaurantee that the next book will be out before then.

I just hope the TV series gives him a bit of impetus, and if he has twists and spoilers planned, we'll get them in print before we get them on screen.

I'm confused as to why people think Jeyne isn't Jeyne. She's with her mother at the time; I can't imagine that with everything she went through that she'd try and pull one over the eyes of Jaime and the Lannisters just because of how he treated her bargain with Tywin. Or am I missing something here...

How about the character of Reek? I know he undregoes physical changes as well as the mental ones, but I'm pretty sure he'll be recognizable.

The exchange between Ramsay and the first Reek took place before we ever saw either of them, if I remeber correctly, so no trouble there.

And for the second Reek: I think it was pretty clear from the beginning of "Dance", who this Reek was. So I don't see a problem there either.

If no new book comes out we may find out if that big monk on the shore is the Hound we all love or not from the series.

With the second episode of season two coupled with the knife in the throat incident in season one I believe viewers will hav quite a lot less impact from the revelations at the end of book three. I was genuinely shocked by Littlefinger making the moves on Sansa and then learning that Jon Arryn's death AND the blame on the Lannisters have been his doing all along (and thus setting pretty much everything that happened on Westeros in motion). Up to that point he was a "side which whoever is winning" guy, but on the show his evil self is becoming clearer and clearer...

I also believe that the Tyrell participation in Joffrey's killing will be evident to viewers as its happening, while in the books its less obvious.