Movies and TV HBO greenlights A Game of Thrones pilot! - Page 97

keg in kc · 03:58 PM

EDIT: Changed the original header to mark this as the thread where spoilers are allowed (but not necessarily recommended...). Created a new, spoiler-free thread for Ice and Fire virgins...

This is awesome...

Huge, Huge News

Nov. 11th, 2008 at 10:29 PM

HBO has given the production order.

They will be filming the pilot episode of A GAME OF THRONES.

It's just the pilot so far. They'll need to see that before they decide whether to proceed with a full season's episodes. So let's all hope the pilot will kick serious ass.

It should. David Benioff and Dan Weiss did a terrific job with the script. And yes, all of you can relax, it's very faithful. Dan and David will be the executive producers for the pilot and (we hope) the eventual series.

More details when I have 'em. The news is very fresh. HBO just issued their own press release, which should be up on their website soon, if it's not there already.

Winter is coming to HBO. Hot damn.

Mr. Laz · 06-12-2011, 08:06 PM

wow ... didn't see that coming

Spoiler!

Raiderhater58 · 06-12-2011, 08:23 PM

wow I almost want to cry right now, lol.

What a ****ing great show

keg in kc · 06-12-2011, 08:26 PM

This is the moment I've been waiting for all season, and trying to keep quiet about. Probably the moment to this point in the story where I envy Ice and Fire virgins the most.

keg in kc · 06-12-2011, 08:29 PM

EW's story/interview on it:

Spoiler!

**DaFace** · 06-12-2011, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

wow ... didn't see that coming

Spoiler!

I just finished the second book. If there's one thing I have learned about him, it's that he doesn't follow conventional wisdom about how plot lines will unfold. It's awesome, but a little unsettling at times.

eazyb81 · 06-12-2011, 08:51 PM

ARE YOU ****ING KIDDING ME????

Never in a million years would I have guessed the show would have taken this turn.

WHAT THE ****?

I am pretty pissed off right now....

kcpasco · 06-12-2011, 09:07 PM

Poor ol dead Ned, he should have taken the throne when he had the chance.

Look at what all that great honor did for him? A lack of a head and his family to suffer the consequences.

He should have taken a lesson from Jamie Lannister!!

Frazod · 06-12-2011, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

This is the moment I've been waiting for all season, and trying to keep quiet about. Probably the moment to this point in the story where I envy Ice and Fire virgins the most.

This. I'm glad nobody ****ed up the surprise in this thread.

keg in kc · 06-12-2011, 09:19 PM

at the last remark...

Spoiler!

Sfeihc · 06-12-2011, 09:20 PM

Having never read the books but always keen to foreshadowing there were two things that have stood out from the end of episode 1. First was that Joffery was a product of incest and second that Ned's days were numbered. That being said this has been an incredible ride and I can't wait for next Sunday. Interesting to learn about the lineage of some of the characters that man the Wall.

allen_kcCard · 06-12-2011, 09:40 PM

A surpised for me this episode too, and I've read the books.....Shae was't replaced by Ros afterall, good! Still curious why they changes Ros around, I guess she just has an excellent set of tits and they wanted to get more use out of them.

Man, they also breezed through the battles. Those were perfect examples of why I wish they could have had two or so more episodes for the season. Those could have been really fleshed out more and shown the brilliance of what the Starks did there.

Frazod · 06-12-2011, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by allen_kcCard

A surpised for me this episode too, and I've read the books.....Shae was't replaced by Ros afterall, good! Still curious why they changes Ros around, I guess she just has an excellent set of tits and they wanted to get more use out of them.

Man, they also breezed through the battles. Those were perfect examples of why I wish they could have had two or so more episodes for the season. Those could have been really fleshed out more and shown the brilliance of what the Starks did there.

I wondered how they'd pull off the battles, and figured that just not showing them would be how it would end up. I'm sure they didn't have the budget to do it right, so probably better to do it like they did. Better that than having the battle look like something out of a History Channel recreation.

allen_kcCard · 06-12-2011, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frazod

I wondered how they'd pull off the battles, and figured that just not showing them would be how it would end up. I'm sure they didn't have the budget to do it right, so probably better to do it like they did. Better that than having the battle look like something out of a History Channel recreation.

Yeah, it worked, and I hope that next episode there is an episode of Tywin ranting about Jaime and explaining more of what happened somehow.

I do hope though, that in future seasons they get a bigger budget, for example, I want to SEE a wildling army.

duncan_idaho · 06-12-2011, 09:55 PM

Just finished watching. My wife was so angry, she's watching a few episodes of The Office to cool down.

When I read that for the first time, I had to put the book down. Martin definitely goes out of his way to make things realistic AND break the stereotypes of the genre he writes in.

BTW, just in case any of the ASOIF virgins missed it.. that was Eddard's greatsword Ice that was used to kill him.

I hope we get to see a little more of the Battle of the Whispering Wood in flashbacks and such. As I was telling the wife... Robb Stark may have lost his dad, but Eddard schooled him well in the art of war and making hard choices.

DJ's left nut · 06-12-2011, 10:22 PM

Yeah, I was a little disappointed in how they handled Whispering Wood.

Like a lot of folks, I've spent the last month waiting for this episode to see the reaction. Just floors the hell out of you, doesn't it?

That said, I was worried some time ago about how the loss of Bean would impact the series but I'm not nearly as concerned now. The kid playing Robb has stepped up HUGE, IMO and of course Tyrian will fuel the action going forward.

Love how they did it; great job, HBO.

11-12-2008, 06:29 AM
keg in kc oxymoron Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: OP/KC/Whatever Casino cash: $9556299	HBO greenlights A Game of Thrones pilot! (spoilers) EDIT: Changed the original header to mark this as the thread where spoilers are allowed (but not necessarily recommended...). Created a new, spoiler-free thread for Ice and Fire virgins... This is awesome... Huge, Huge News Nov. 11th, 2008 at 10:29 PM HBO has given the production order. They will be filming the pilot episode of A GAME OF THRONES. It's just the pilot so far. They'll need to see that before they decide whether to proceed with a full season's episodes. So let's all hope the pilot will kick serious ass. It should. David Benioff and Dan Weiss did a terrific job with the script. And yes, all of you can relax, it's very faithful. Dan and David will be the executive producers for the pilot and (we hope) the eventual series. More details when I have 'em. The news is very fresh. HBO just issued their own press release, which should be up on their website soon, if it's not there already. Winter is coming to HBO. Hot damn. Last edited by keg in kc; 04-25-2011 at 03:58 PM..
Posts: 58,682

06-12-2011, 08:06 PM	#1441
Mr. Laz Don't Tease Me Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: KS Casino cash: $11047037	wow ... didn't see that coming Spoiler! That dude dies in every movie he in, doesn't he. So which of the daughters is going to end up killing that little blond bastard king? The sword girl or is the redhead going to poison his ass some night? __________________
Posts: 95,626

06-12-2011, 08:23 PM	#1442
Raiderhater58 Eye for an Eye Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Independence Casino cash: $9994925	wow I almost want to cry right now, lol. What a ****ing great show
Posts: 607

06-12-2011, 08:26 PM	#1443
keg in kc oxymoron Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: OP/KC/Whatever Casino cash: $9556299	This is the moment I've been waiting for all season, and trying to keep quiet about. Probably the moment to this point in the story where I envy Ice and Fire virgins the most.
Posts: 58,682

06-12-2011, 08:29 PM	#1444
keg in kc oxymoron Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: OP/KC/Whatever Casino cash: $9556299	EW's story/interview on it: Spoiler! 'Game of Thrones' shocker! Producers explain tonight's horrific twist by James Hibberd Warning: The following story discusses a major plot point from tonight’s Game of Thrones… It’s a big deal. If you haven’t watched the episode yet, you should do that and come back. This story will still be here, I promise… Sure, the spoiler was in the novel and has been on the Internet forever, but if you’re only watching the TV show, you probably won’t see this coming, and we don’t want to ruin it for you. Tyrion kills Dumbledore! OK, last chance for real. No whining in the comments! It might be unprecedented in the history of television: Killing off the main character in TV series during the show’s first season as part of a creative master plan. Has there ever been a more shocking twist, a more risky play, than in this week’s Game of Thrones? Eddard Stark met his demise in Episode 9 on Sunday. Sean Bean’s character not only the closest thing to a central figure and traditional hero in the show’s sprawling cast, he’s also the man on the show’s posters and billboards, the best-known actor in the series and probably one of the biggest reasons newcomers to the Thrones tale first checked out the show. Yet from the very start, HBO, producers and cast knew they were launching a big budget fantasy epic that loses its hero. The idea of pulling a Psycho has been kicked around before — the producers of Lost wanted to kill off Jack Shephard at the end of their pilot, but ABC convinced them to keep him around. And sure, shows have shaken up their casts during the first season before, notes TV historian Tim Brooks, but it’s because there was an unexpected problem. Based on the George R.R. Martin’s series of books that delights in overturning fantasy cliches, noble Ned was doomed from the outset. Below, producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss talk about the move, their reactions to the twist and why it was necessary to the story. Later, we’ll post a recap with our take (I’m writing it as fast as I can!) and an interview with Sean Bean: ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When reading Game of Thrones, what was your reaction to George killing off Ned? David Benioff: I was in shock. From your training in seeing so many movies and reading books, you know your hero is going to be saved. Is Arya going to pull this off? Does the queen have some trick up her sleeve? Someone has something planned, because they’re not really going to chop off his head — right up until the moment when they chopped off his head. I was shocked, and then admiring of George’s ruthlessness. It’s a tough thing to build up a character and make somebody as memorable and impressive as Ned and then get rid of him. But at the same time it leads to a story that is so much more suspenseful because you truly have no idea what is going to happen and who is going to survive. In stories, you usually have an idea who’s going to make it out. Watching The Town, which was a really excellent movie from last year, you knew who was going to survive and who will die within the first 10 minutes. This was something completely different. And I said, “Wow George, there’s a reason you have such devoted followers because it makes such great reading and panicked reading because you turn the page not knowing who’s going to get what next.” When pitching the project, what was HBO’s reaction when you told them the main character dies? D.B. Weiss: It was a selling point for them. They’ve [killed off characters] in some of their most successful series. In The Sopranos, even Tony I wasn’t completely sure was safe, it wasn’t completely outside the realm of possibility [he would be killed off]. It completely ups the ante for any moment when a character is in a dire situation if you know another character didn’t make survive a similar situation. The scenes with Ned and Arya have been great, and with all that Maisie Williams is bringing to that part, I have a feeling this scene is going to upset viewers far more than it did readers of the book, in which the chapter was surprisingly casual and underwritten. Benioff: It was a good choice by George to kind of underwrite it. Not to throw too many pretentious references around, but there’s a short story by Anton Chekhov where the lead character dies in the middle of a sentence — he didn’t even get his own sentence. That always left a real impression on me because it was so offhand that it made you think that this is a brutal life for these Russian sailors on these ships in the 19th century. It was very effective. Here you’re kind of watching from afar and the bluntness of George’s prose made it even more brutal, there was nothing sentimental and saccharin about it. It was just, there he is up there, and [the sword] Ice is coming down on his neck and that’s it. It’s faithful in the way it’s translated to the screen, but it’s still a very different thing because you have real live actors and little Maisie Williams watching and Ramin Djawadi’s beautiful score. There were lots of things that made us nervous this season, but we knew with episodes nine and ten we were ending on a strong note. Since he is the best-known actor and such a central figure, does losing Sean bring about any concern whether viewers will stick around for season two? Weiss: In addition to his character, you’re setting up other characters that goes forward. The idea is this show gets its hooks into people enough so you’re going to want to know what happens to Tyrion and Arya. So even though we lose key characters, we’re still invested in a lot of characters so you’ll want to know what happens next. Does Sean leaving the show open up the possibility of hiring another star for characters who are introduced in season two? Benioff: There are a bunch of names up for discussion, so it’s quite possible. Certainly there hasn’t been any kind of mandate that we need to cast big names, but there are some well known actors who would be great for certain roles. Last edited by keg in kc; 06-12-2011 at 09:16 PM..
Posts: 58,682

06-12-2011, 08:51 PM	#1446
eazyb81 The Illuminati Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: the road less traveled Casino cash: $10004900	ARE YOU **ING KIDDING ME???? Never in a million years would I have guessed the show would have taken this turn. WHAT THE **? I am pretty pissed off right now....
Posts: 12,033

06-12-2011, 09:07 PM	#1447
kcpasco MVP Join Date: Sep 2007 Casino cash: $7733463	Poor ol dead Ned, he should have taken the throne when he had the chance. Look at what all that great honor did for him? A lack of a head and his family to suffer the consequences. He should have taken a lesson from Jamie Lannister!!
Posts: 15,477

06-12-2011, 09:19 PM	#1449
keg in kc oxymoron Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: OP/KC/Whatever Casino cash: $9556299	at the last remark... Spoiler! Sean Bean talks 'Game of Thrones' Episode 9 'Baelor' by James Hibberd Class 5 Spoiler Warning! The following interview includes a major plot point from Episode 9 of Game of Thrones… Below, the Game of Thrones star chats with EW about this week’s twist that since hitting East Coast viewers an hour ago has Twitter exploding with surprised comments (and outrage). ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What did you think of Ned’s story? Sean Bean: I thought it was a very courageous move for a television company. I know HBO has a track record of bold moves but i thought this is pretty incredible if they can pull this off. I love the character, that he’s a principled man who tries to hold things together. This is a journey that he makes where ultimately his loyalty causes his downfall. But I just thought it was a wonderful piece of work. Did knowing Ned’s fate change how you played him? I knew I had to get quite a lot in before I got my head chopped off. I think you just play what’s on the page — he’s a good man trying to do his best in the middle of this corruption, he’s a fish out of water, he’s used to being up North in Winterfell where people are pretty straight and pragmatic, and he comes down to a place where people are playing games and backstabbing. Was there any reluctance to play a doomed fantasy character after having created such an iconic one in Lord of the Rings? Not really. His death was much a surprise to me as anyone. In Lord of the Rings that death scene worked out quite well and Peter Jackson shot it beautifully, so it was quite heroic, and that also applies to the Ned Stark scene. It’s shocking and sad for his young daughter in the crowd. What would you say to fans who are upset by the episode? Ah, sorry about that! Tell them to blame George R.R. Martin.
Posts: 58,682

06-12-2011, 09:20 PM	#1450
Sfeihc It's All Good Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $10010133	Having never read the books but always keen to foreshadowing there were two things that have stood out from the end of episode 1. First was that Joffery was a product of incest and second that Ned's days were numbered. That being said this has been an incredible ride and I can't wait for next Sunday. Interesting to learn about the lineage of some of the characters that man the Wall.
Posts: 3,441

06-12-2011, 09:40 PM	#1451
allen_kcCard Veteran Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $4433183	A surpised for me this episode too, and I've read the books.....Shae was't replaced by Ros afterall, good! Still curious why they changes Ros around, I guess she just has an excellent set of tits and they wanted to get more use out of them. Man, they also breezed through the battles. Those were perfect examples of why I wish they could have had two or so more episodes for the season. Those could have been really fleshed out more and shown the brilliance of what the Starks did there.
Posts: 2,767

06-12-2011, 09:55 PM	#1454
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $1730308	Just finished watching. My wife was so angry, she's watching a few episodes of The Office to cool down. When I read that for the first time, I had to put the book down. Martin definitely goes out of his way to make things realistic AND break the stereotypes of the genre he writes in. BTW, just in case any of the ASOIF virgins missed it.. that was Eddard's greatsword Ice that was used to kill him. I hope we get to see a little more of the Battle of the Whispering Wood in flashbacks and such. As I was telling the wife... Robb Stark may have lost his dad, but Eddard schooled him well in the art of war and making hard choices. __________________ "You gotta love livin', cause dying is a pain in the ass." ---- Sinatra
Posts: 21,098

06-12-2011, 10:22 PM	#1455
DJ's left nut Sauntering Vaguely Downwards Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Columbia, Mo Casino cash: $2979099	Yeah, I was a little disappointed in how they handled Whispering Wood. Like a lot of folks, I've spent the last month waiting for this episode to see the reaction. Just floors the hell out of you, doesn't it? That said, I was worried some time ago about how the loss of Bean would impact the series but I'm not nearly as concerned now. The kid playing Robb has stepped up HUGE, IMO and of course Tyrian will fuel the action going forward. Love how they did it; great job, HBO. __________________ "If there's a god, he's laughing at us.....and our football team..." "When you look at something through rose colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags."
Posts: 60,429