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Game of Thrones

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Game of Thrones
File:GameofThrones-Title-Tease.png
Title screen as seen in the first teaser
GenreMedieval fantasy
Created bySeries:
David Benioff
Dan Weiss
Novels:
George R. R. Martin
Written byDavid Benioff
Dan Weiss
Bryan Cogman
Jane Espenson
George R. R. Martin
Directed byThomas McCarthy
Brian Kirk
Daniel Minahan
Alan Taylor
Timothy Van Patten
StarringMark Addy
Alfie Allen
Sean Bean
Emilia Clarke
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Peter Dinklage
Michelle Fairley
Aidan Gillen
Jack Gleeson
Iain Glen
Kit Harington
Lena Headey
Isaac Hempstead-Wright
Harry Lloyd
Richard Madden
Rory McCann
Sophie Turner
Maisie Williams
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10 (0 aired)
Production
Executive producersDavid Benioff
Dan Weiss
co-executive producers:
Carolyn Strauss
Guymon Cassady
Vincent Gerardis
Ralph Vicinanza
George R. R. Martin
ProducersMark Huffam
Frank Doelger
Production locationsNorthern Ireland
Malta[1]
CinematographyMarco Pontecorvo
Alik Sakharov
Original release
NetworkHBO

Game of Thrones is an upcoming American medieval fantasy television series created by David Benioff and Dan Weiss for HBO. The series, based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels, chronicles the violent dynastic struggles among noble families for control of the Iron Throne of Westeros.[1] HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo has stated that the series will likely debut in Spring 2011.[2]

Production

Conception and development

The series began development in January 2007, when HBO, after acquiring the rights for A Song of Ice and Fire with the intent of turning the novels into a television series,[3] hired David Benioff and Dan Weiss to write and executive produce the series, which would cover one novel's worth of material per season.[3] Initially, it was planned that Benioff and Weiss would write every episode save one, which author and co-executive producer George R. R. Martin was attached to write,[4] of every season,[3] but Jane Espenson and Bryan Cogman were later added to respectively pen one episode of the first season.[1]

“The Sopranos in Middle-earth” is the tagline Benioff jokingly suggested for the television adaptation, referring to its intrigue-filled content and dark tone set in a fantasy setting.[5] Fantasy is described to be incidental to the series, with magic taking a back seat to storytelling, which is what HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo found appealing in spite of the network’s new developmental policy to “[take] shots at shows that we wouldn’t have taken a shot at five years ago.”[2][6] Nonetheless, HBO hired expert language creator David J. Peterson from the Language Creation Society to develop a Dothraki language — “possessing its own unique sound, extensive vocabulary of more than 1,800 words and complex grammatical structure” — to be used in the series.[7] The first and second drafts of the pilot script, written by Benioff and Weiss, were submitted in August 2007[8] and June 2008,[9] respectively. While HBO found both drafts to their liking,[10][9] a pilot was not ordered until November 2008,[11][12] with the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike possibly delaying the process.[10]

Although Game of Thrones’s budget has been compared to that of Rome,[6] the project appeared to be more expensive than it actually was, its first shooting of the pilot reportedly costing HBO between US$5 to $10 million.[2] Game of Thrones is set to premiere on screen sometime during Spring 2011.[2]

Casting

On May 5, 2009, it was announced that Peter Dinklage had been signed on to star as Tyrion Lannister in the pilot, and that Tom McCarthy was set to direct.[13] Shortly thereafter, pranksters at the Internet Movie Database edited the IMDb profile of actress Holly Marie Combs to indicate that she had been cast as Catelyn Stark; however, producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss confirmed that this was a hoax.[14] A few months later, in the beginning of August, it was revealed that Catelyn would be portrayed by Jennifer Ehle.[15]

In the late hours of July 19, 2009, a number of further casting decisions were announced, including Sean Bean being given the role of Ned Stark,[16] thus confirming a rumour first reported a couple of days before.[17] Other actors signed on for the pilot were Kit Harington in the role of Jon Snow, Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon, Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen, and Mark Addy as Robert Baratheon.[16][18]

On August 20, several more casting announcements were made, featuring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister and Tamzin Merchant as Daenerys Targaryen, as well as Richard Madden in the role of Robb Stark, Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont, Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy, and the young Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams as Sansa and Arya Stark, respectively.[19] On September 1, it was revealed that Lena Headey had been cast as Cersei Lannister.[20] On September 23, Martin confirmed that Rory McCann has been cast as Sandor Clegane.[21] Isaac Hempstead-Wright was confirmed as Bran Stark on October 14, followed by an announcement of Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo three days later.[22]

After the pilot was shot and the series picked up, it was announced that the role of Catelyn had been recast, with Michelle Fairley replacing Ehle.[23] Later, it was also confirmed that Emilia Clarke would replace Tamzin Merchant as Daenerys.[24][25]

Filming locations

Principal photography for the first season of the series was scheduled to begin on July 26, 2010,[1] with the primary locations being Paint Hall Studio in Belfast, Northern Ireland,[26] and Malta, a change in location from Morocco.[1] For the initial shooting of the pilot in 2009,[22] additional filming locations included Carncastle,[27] Shane's Castle,[28] Castle Ward,[29] Magheramorne[30] Tollymore Forest Park[28] in Northern Ireland, and Doune Castle in Scotland.[31]

Cast and characters

For a more comprehensive list, see List of characters in Game of Thrones.


Plot

Main article: Synopsis of A Song of Ice and Fire

The television series is expected to follow the multiple storylines of the A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels closely,[32] and author Martin has stated that the pilot script was very faithful to his work.[33] Set in Westeros where "summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime," Game of Thrones chronicles the violent dynastic struggles among noble families for control of the Iron Throne.[1]

Reception

Anticipation for the series has been described by various media outlets as extremely high, with a dedicated fan base closely following the show's early development.[34][35]

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d e f Martin, George R. R. (2010-07-16). "From HBO". Not a Blog. LiveJournal.
  2. ^ a b c d Hibberd, James (January 14, 2010). "HBO: 'Game of Thrones' dailies 'look fantastic'". The Live Feed. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Fleming, Michael (January 16, 2007). "HBO turns Fire into fantasy series". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
  4. ^ Benioff, David (2008-11-19). "Hello from Benioff and Weiss". Westeros: The A Song of Ice and Fire Domain. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Kachka, Boris (2008-05-18). "Dungeon Master: David Benioff". New York Magazine. Vol. 2008, no. May 26.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (January 8, 2010). "A Network Gets Its Bite Back". Entertainment (1084). Entertainment Weekly.
  7. ^ "Today in Fictional-Language News: HBO Speaks Dothraki" (Press release). Time. 2010-04-12.
  8. ^ Hudson, Laura (2007-08-14). "Talking with George R. R. Martin Part 2". Publishers Weekly.
  9. ^ a b Martin, George R. R. (2008-06-13). "Ice & Fire on HBO". Not a Blog. LiveJournal.
  10. ^ a b Kirschling, Gregory (2007 November). "By George!". Entertainment Weekly. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (November 11, 2008). "Fantasy sits on Thrones". Variety.com. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  12. ^ "HBO orders fantasy pilot Thrones". THR.com. November 11, 2008. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2009-05-05). "Two will play HBO's 'Game'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-05-12. [dead link‍]
  14. ^ "David and Dan Confirm What We Already Know". "Winter Is Coming" blog. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2009-08-03). "Trio of actresses cast in TV projects". Hollywood Reporter.
  16. ^ a b Kit, Borys (2009-07-19). "Sean Bean ascends to "Game of Thrones"". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-07-20. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "Insider: Sean Bean cast as Ned". "Winter Is Coming" blog. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  18. ^ Martin, George R. R. "A Casting We Will Go". Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  19. ^ Hibberd, James (2009-08-20). "HBO appoints subjects to 'Thrones'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-08-20. [dead link‍]
  20. ^ Ryan, Maureen (2009-09-01). "Royal HBO role filled by 'Terminator: Sarah Connor' actress". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
  21. ^ Martin, George R. R. (2009-09-26). "As Sandor Clegane, the Hound..." Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  22. ^ a b Ryan, Maureen (2009-10-13). "The 'Games' afoot: HBO's 'Game of Thrones' gears up". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
  23. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2009-08-03). "Fairley to replace Ehle in HBO's 'Thrones'". Hollywood Reporter.
  24. ^ Ryan, Maureen (2010-05-21). "Exclusive: 'Game of Thrones' recasts noble role". Chicago Tribune.
  25. ^ Martin, George R. R. (2010-05-21). "A New Daenerys". Not a Blog. LiveJournal.
  26. ^ "HBO to film TV pilot in Belfast, Northern Ireland" (Press release). Northern Ireland Executive. 2009-04-21.
  27. ^ "Northern Ireland fans queue to meet sci-fi guru George RR Martin". Belfast Telegraph. 2009-11-04.
  28. ^ a b Maggie Taggart (March 3, 2010). Fantasy epic to be filmed in Belfast. Belfast: BBC News.
  29. ^ McCausland, Nelson (2009-11-05). "Game of Thrones". Nelson's View – The Minister's Pen. Blogger.
  30. ^ http://www.larnetimes.co.uk/news/Extras-needed-for-new-TV.6382643.jp
  31. ^ "Medieval keep becomes film set" (Press release). BBC News. 2009-10-23.
  32. ^ Martin, George R. R. (2008-01-11). "HBO options Ice & Fire".
  33. ^ Martin, George R. R. (2010-05-20). "June is Fast Approaching". Not a Blog. LiveJournal. Cite error: The named reference "notablog3" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  34. ^ Gregory, Mathilda (2010-07-23). "Is A Game of Thrones the most eagerly anticipated TV show ever?". London: The Guardian.
  35. ^ Colins, Scott (2010-08-08). "With 'Game of Thrones,' HBO is playing for another 'True Blood'". Los Angeles Times.
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